Salem: Mettur dam to receive 3,000 cusecs from Karnataka dam

SALEM/DHARMAPURI: With water being released from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) dam from Friday, the inflow to the Stanley reservoir at Mettur in Salem district reached 1,607 cusecs on Monday from 120 cusecs the previous day.
As per the direction of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Regulation Board (CRB), Karnataka has to release 2.06 tmc of water between January 1 and February 24 from its dams to Tamil Nadu. “As the reservoir was brimming with water in the past few months, Karnataka has released only 1.24 tmc of water till February 24,” a senior officer from public works department (PWD) told TOI.
On Friday, Karnataka officials released 3,000 cusecs of water from the KRS dam. The water reached Biligundulu, the entry point of Tamil Nadu in Krishnagiri district, on Sunday afternoon and later Hogenakkal on the same evening.
“The water inflow to the dam stood at 120 cusecs until Sunday evening. It increased to 180 cusecs on the same night and crossed 1,000 cusecs on Monday morning. The inflow was maintained at 1,607 cusecs till 6pm,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the water inflow reached 3,000 cusecs at Hogenakkal on Monday. The official said the entire 3,000 cusecs of water is likely to reach the Mettur dam on the same night.
The water level in the dam was 105.14ft on Monday evening. The officials were discharging 750 cusecs of water for drinking purpose in the Salem region, including to the Salem municipal corporation.