The summer heat is taking a toll on the storage level in several water bodies. As on Monday, only one of the three major reservoirs in the district has water up to the brim, while the level in most of the tanks has been dropping.
According to data available with the Public Works Department (PWD), Mordhana Dam has 261.36 mcft of water, its full capacity.
Water not released
There was no release from the reservoir for irrigation or drinking purposes following the floods last year as there was no demandv, an official pointed out.
“Usually, farmers and residents seek release of water from the dam for irrigation and drinking purposes. As tanks in the locality had water, there was no demand,” he said. Rajathoppu has 39.91% of water. Of its total storage capacity of 20.52 mcft, the reservoir had 8.19 mcft.
The third reservoir, Andiappanur Odai, has 78.76 mcft of water, against its total capacity of 112.20 mcft as on Monday.
All three reservoirs had filled up in October last year following heavy rain.
Of the 519 tanks maintained by the PWD in Vellore district, only two tanks, one each in Vellore and Arakkonam taluks, have 75% water. A total of 144 tanks have 50% water, while the remaining tanks have less than 25% water, with some of them being dry, officials said.
Officials said that water in the tanks and reservoirs was getting evaporated.
“Many tanks have 50% water. As of now, it is not possible to say how the district will fare with water level during the summer season. Nevertheless, the level is better than last year as the district witnessed flood,” he added.
