With the northeast monsoon bringing in copious rainfall in the catchment areas in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry, major waterbodies are brimming with water. Following the release of water from the Sathanur dam, water started overflowing from the Commandamedu bed dam near Bahour here from Saturday.
“The Commandamedu bed dam’s wall has been damaged and the breach is six metres wide on the Cuddalore side and another 40 metres wide on the Puducherry side. However, the water continues to overflow into the Thenpennaiar River,” an official said.
Senior officials of the Public Works Department visited the site and assessed the damage.
A senior official said the department planned to take up restoration work on an outlay of ₹5 crore on the bed dam after the second spell of rains.
“However, we are yet to get the administrative approval. Tenders will be floated and the work will be taken up soon,” he said.
Pillayarkuppam anicut
The Pillayarkuppam anicut suffered heavy damage in the recent rains. The PWD has placed around 10,000 sand bags to plug breaches. An additional 10,000 sand bags have been kept ready as a precautionary measure. The PWD has proposed to take up temporary renovation measures with a budget of ₹40 lakh, the official said.
Puducherry has 84 irrigation tanks and more than 500 ponds, which form the lifeline of groundwater system, serve as a source for drinking water and backbone of agriculture.
The officials said 36 tanks have filled up. Heavy rainfall in the upper stream areas, feeder canals and rivers in the adjoining areas of Tamil Nadu brought abundant water to these tanks.
The water level of the Oussudu lake, the most important freshwater lake of the region, stood at 1.88 of 3.5 metres.
The lake covered an area of about 800 hectares spread across both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, of which 390 hectares were in Puducherry and the rest in Tamil Nadu.
The water level at the Bahour lake, the second largest waterbody in Puducherry, stood at 2.96 metres, against the full level of 3.60 metres.
According to PWD sources, 36 tanks, including Karikilampakkam, Sitheri, Embalam, Thirukkanur, Panayadikuppam and Karayambathur tanks, have reached the full level.
The surplus water from the Suthukeni bed dam has been discharged through the Sankarabarani river which flows into the Oussudu lake.
