Salem (Tamil Nadu) Jul 27 (UNI) The water level in Mettur dam across River Cauvery at Mettur in Salem district crossed the 100-feet mark as against its full reservoir level (FRL) of 120 feet on Saturday.
The water level reached the 100-feet at 0915 hours this morning after 405 days, following heavy discharge of surplus water from Karnataka reservoirs, said a Public Works Department (PWD) officer here.
The water level stood at 100.41 feet with an inflow of 1, 18,009 cusecs, this afternoon. The discharge from the reservoir through the Cauvery River was 1,000 cusecs of water for irrigation purposes.
Due to very heavy inflow, the dam would reach its FRL in the next couple of days.
Officials from PWD, farmers and locals performed pujas and showered flowers on the Cauvery River, when the dam reached 100 feet.
This is the 71st time that the dam has reached 100-feet mark since its 90 years of inception.
The precautionary flood alert has been issued to the people residing in low-lying areas in view of heavy inflow in Cauvery River.
Tamil Nadu PWD and Central Water Commission (CWC) officials are closely monitoring the situation.
The Mettur dam is considered as the lifeline of Cauvery delta districts of Tamil Nadu, as it is a major source of irrigation, besides catering to the drinking water needs of several districts.
This year, the dam was not opened on the traditional date of June 12 for Kuruvai cultivation owing to poor storage.
It was on August 21, 1934 the reservoir was dedicated to the people of Tamil Nadu by Lieutenant Colonel Sir George Frederick Stanley, who served as then Governor General of Madras from 1929 to 1934 and also as Acting viceroy of India in 1934.
The dam was named after Stanley and hence it is also called Stanley reservoir.
The dam has a gross capacity of 95.63 tmc (thousand million cubic feet) and effective storage of 93.47 tmc.
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