As many as 12 out of 15 irrigation reservoirs in Tamil Nadu are better placed than last year, thanks to the bountiful northeast monsoon.
Among them are the Mettur and Bhavanisagar, both belonging to the Cauvery basin, and the State’s two top reservoirs in terms of storage. While the former is full with a storage of 93.47 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft), the latter is almost full with 32.06 tmcft.
During the most recent northeast monsoon, the State received 70.4 cm of rainfall against the normal 43.4 cm, an excess of 62%.
Other than Mettur, Sholayar, coming under the Parambikulam-Aliyar network of reservoirs, is also full. Parambikulam, which comes third in terms of storage, is nearly filled. Its storage is around 12.675 tmcft against a capacity of 13.408 tmcft.
There are six more reservoirs whose water level are less than a foot of their full level, according to the readings taken on December 24.
Almost for a month, the water level of the Mullaperiyar dam, which has been in the news for the past several months, is hovering around the permitted 142-ft mark. Its storage is 7.612 tmcft.
As for the realisation of the State’s share of Cauvery water, the realisation this month was 22.35 tmcft as on December 22.
Around 233.6 tmcft of water has been received, approximately 71.3 tmcft higher than the stipulated quantity for the elapsed period (June 1 to December 22).
Chennai’s reservoirs
With regard to the reservoirs that cater to the drinking water requirement of Chennai, the combined storage of Satyamurti Sagari in Poondi, Cholavaram, Red Hills, Chembarambakkam, Veeranam and Thervoy Kandigai is around 12.43 tmcft, against the total capacity of 13.213 tmcft.
Barring Cholavaram and Veeranam the other reservoirs have a storage of above 90% of their capacity. Thervoy-Kandigai is full.
