Krishnagiri collector V Jaya Chandra Bhanu Reddy on Wednesday sounded flood alert to the people living along the Thenpennai river pathway in Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram and Cuddalore districts with the water level in the Krishnagiri Reservoir Project (KRP) dam nearing its full capacity of 50ft following the heavy rain in its catchment areas.
The surplus water would be released into the river once the water level in the dam reaches 50ft.
“The flood alert has been issued throughout the river pathway from the Karnataka border to the state,” the collector said.
Public Works Department (PWD) officials at the dam site said the water level was recorded at 48ft on Monday evening. It rose to 48.5ft on Wednesday. The water level is expected to touch the dam’s full capacity in a day or two, thanks to the incessant rainfall and copious inflow.
Krishnagiri collector has appealed the people, especially those living on the banks of the Thenpennai river and low-lying area, to move to safer places. “We have also advised people not to bathe in the river as the water current is strong” he said.
A PWD official said the dam’s actual water storage capacity was 52ft. “One of the shutters breached on November 29, 2017 and it was replaced in 2018. After that, the state government ordered us to replace all the seven shutters and that was done this year. While we could store 52ft water, we have decided to reduce it to 50ft, considering the safety of shutters.” tnn