The storage of Poondi Reservoir is increasing rapidly due to the increase in inflow of water due to seasonal rains.
Chennai:
An initial flood warning was sounded by authorities on Sunday for people living close to the banks of the Kosasthalaiyar river in Tiruvallur district as the nearby Poondi reservoir is expected to reach its full capacity.
An additional 1,000 cusecs of water would be released from 2 pm on Sunday in view of the increasing water inflow due to rain and if the flow continues to increase, additional quantity will also be released in phases, a Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department release said.
While issuing an initial alert, the WRD asked the Tiruvallur district administration to take steps to bring people living in low-lying areas to safer places and alert the residents.
A group of villages falling under Tiruvallur district, including Nambakkam and Krishnapuram and the suburbs of Chennai such as Ennore and Manali, are among the downstream areas.
An important drinking water source for Chennai, Satyamurthy Sagar Reservoir, popularly known as Poondi Reservoir (34.58 sq. km), is located in Tiruvallur district.
The height of the dam (water storage level) is 35 feet and the total capacity is 3,231 million cubic feet. As on Sunday, the water level is 33.95 feet and the capacity has touched 2,807 mcft and the inflow is 1,691 cusecs.
As the water flow increases due to seasonal rains, the reservoir storage is increasing rapidly. Since it is expected that the storage will reach 34 ft, a plan has been made to discharge the surplus water as a precautionary measure keeping in view the safety of the dam.
If the inflow continues to increase, the additional surplus water (above the proposed 1,000 cusecs) will be discharged in a phased manner.
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