Water gushing out from the Stanley Reservoir at Mettur in the Salem. File
| Photo Credit: E. Lakshmi Narayanan
Following the increase in water discharge from Karnataka dams, the Water Resources Department (WRD) issued a flood warning to 11 districts in the delta region of Tamil Nadu on Monday (August 18, 2025).
In a statement, the WRD said that the discharge from Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam and Kabini dam to Mettur dam has been increased to 95,000 cusecs. With heavy inflow likely, the Mettur dam will reach its full capacity of 120 feet soon. The discharge from Mettur dam will be released as surplus water to Cauvery River. There is a likelihood of release of surplus water of 50,000 to 70,000 cusecs into Cauvery River and this may be increased gradually.
The people living on the banks of the Cauvery River and low-lying areas have been cautioned by the WRD to move to a safer place and to take precautionary measures for safety and security for their lives and properties. The warning was issued to Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Ariyalur, Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, and Cuddalore districts.
On Monday, the Mettur dam’s water level stood at 117.56 feet against its full capacity of 120 feet. The storage level stood at 89.63 TMC against its full capacity of 93.47 TMC. Inflow into the dam increased to 7,435 cusecs from Sunday’s inflow of 6,223 cusecs. The amount of water discharged from the dam into the River Cauvery for delta irrigation increased to 35,000 cusecs from 22,000 cusecs. For canal irrigation, water discharge is maintained at 500 cusecs.
Officials attached to WRD said that based on the inflow, the water discharge will be increased gradually, and once the dam attains its full capacity, the inflow into the dam will be discharged completely, officials added.
Published – August 18, 2025 03:56 pm IST
