ANDIPATTI/RAMANATHAPURAM
Water was released from Vaigai dam to meet the drinking water needs of Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga districts on Sunday. Public Works Department officials stepped up the discharge from the dam to 3,850 cusecs to recharge groundwater table, improve water supply and meet irrigation needs.
The additional release of water would be stopped at 6 a.m. on Monday. However, the discharge for irrigation would continue for 120 days.
The officials had been discharging 1,720 cusecs to meet the drinking water needs, 1,800 cusecs to irrigate over 1.5 lakh acres of lands in Dindigul and Madurai districts and 60 cusecs for maintaining drinking water supply to Madurai city.
The additional discharge reached Viraganur dam, from where it was diverted to Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts.
After repeated appeal from the people of both the districts, Chief Minister Edappadi S. Palaniswami ordered water release from Vaigai dam.
Meanwhile, Forest Department officials announced continuation of the ban on bathing in Kumbakarai falls for the 10th day. However, they permitted tourists to bath in Surili falls.
Formally receiving the first quantum of water released from Vaigai dam on December 5 at Pathibanur regulator on Sunday, Ramanathapuram Collector S. Natarajan said after a gap of two years, the district got its full share of credit of 1,220 mcft of water from the dam as per the existing water level.
The first quantum of 3,000 cusecs of water reached Pathibanur regular on Saturday night. Mr. Natarajan opened the shutters allowing water to flow to Ramanathapuram Big Tank.
The water released from the dam would largely help recharge groundwater sources along the banks of the Vaigai and cater to the drinking water needs of the district, he said.
The realisation in the first quantum of 3,000 cusecs of water at Parthibanur regulator was 2,400 cusecs, which was fairly good given the existing conditions, S. Venkitakrishnan, Executive Engineer (EE Lower Vaigai Basin Division, Paramakudi), and R. Prabu, Assistant EE (Lower Vaigai Basin Sub-Division, RS Mangalam), said.
Normally, it would take six days for the water released from Vaigai dam to reach the Big Tank, and due to the dry condition it took five days to reach Parthibanur this time, they said, adding the water would take another three days to reach the tank. Water was shared by Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts in the ratio of 2:3:7 respectively, they added.
