With the level rising rapidly in Cauvery river, the Public Works Department, as a precautionary measure to prevent flood in the delta districts, continued to discharge surplus water into the Coleroon river for the third consecutive day on Monday.
According to PWD's River Conservation Division officials, the inflow, which stood at 1,19,000 cusecs at Mukkombu Upper Anicut at 7 a.m. on Monday, marginally declined to 1,06,000 cusecs at 5 p.m.
Since the lower reach of the Cauvery from Mukkombu is not capable of carrying water more than 35,000 to 36,000 cusecs, the entire surplus water has been discharged into the Coleroon, which has a carrying capacity of about 4 lakh cusecs.
The discharge of water into the Coleroon, which stood at 71,171 cusecs at 8 p.m. on Sunday, was increased to 80,000 cusecs at 7 a.m on Monday. Since the flow dipped marginally, the authorities reduced the quantum of discharge to 71,000 cusecs in the evening.
Surplus water from Cauvery overflows on Tiruchi-Kallanai Road at Kilikoodu on Monday; banana plantation raised on the Cauvery riverbed at Thiruvalarcholai in Tiruchi district is submerged due to the heavy flow. | Photo Credit: M_Moorthy
A few low-lying villages on the banks of the Cauvery on Tiruchi and Kallanai roads have been affected due to heavy flow, forcing the authorities to step up surveillance. Knee-deep water was flowing at a few stretches between Panayapuram and Kallanai.
On information, Collector K. Rajamani rushed to the spot and directed the PWD officials to check flow of water from the Cauvery at vulnerable points. He told The Hindu that the flooding was due to slight shifts in the water course on the Cauvery river at Kilikoodu. But for the flow of water on road at a few spots, the flooding has not affected normal life, he said.
However, the authorities have been asked to step up round the clock surveillance, he added.
Several acres of banana plantation along the banks of Cauvery have been submerged due to heavy flow in the Cauvery.
Plantations in Thiruvalarcholai, Kilikoodu, Panayapuram and Uttamarseeli on Tiruchi-Kallanai road were among those affected. Most of the banana fields are located on the left bank of the Cauvery. The plants, which are said to be three to four months old, are now submerged in about one feet water.
Similarly, agricultural fields at Munniyur near Musiri have also been inundated. Most of the affected fields are said to have been classified as river inundation patta lands. They are prone to get inundated whenever the Cauvery river overflows.
The inundation of the fields was caused by the heavy flow of water in the Cauvery and heavy discharge of water into the Coleroon.
Though there was no inundation until the flow in the Cauvery was maintained at 30,000 cusecs, the farmers said that water had started flowing over the bund at a few places soon after the release of more than 35,000 cusecs into the Cauvery from Mukkombu. At one point of time, the PWD maintained 36,000 cusecs in the Cauvery on Monday morning.
However, the inflow was reduced to 33,000 cusecs in the evening due to decline of water realisation point at Mukkombu Upper Anicut. It came down to 1,06,000 cusecs from 1,19,000 cusecs at Mukkombu on Monday evening. Collector K. Rajamani, who went to Kilikoodu to inspect the flow of Cauvery water on a causeway, visited the affected banana fields.
Officials said that the standing banana crop could be salvaged once the flow declined.