Surplus water released from Odathurai lake

With Odathurai Lake in Bhavani Taluk reaching its maximum storage capacity of 45.84 cubic feet, 200 cusecs was released through three surplus weirs here on Thursday.

The lake, located in Odathurai Panchayat, has an ayacut area of 172.64 acre and receives water through seepages from the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal. Also, during the rainy season, the lake receives copious water which helps in improving its storage level. Last year, under the Kudimaramathu scheme, the lake was desilted and the bunds were strengthened.

Since water was released in the LBP canal for irrigation, the lake has been receiving water in the past one month and is nearing its maximum storage capacity. Due to rain in its catchment areas in the past three days, the lake received water and attained maximum storage on Thursday after which 200 cusecs was released into the canal. Officials of the Public Works Department said that if the inflow increases, discharge will also be increased and asked the public not to enter the lake for taking bath or washing clothes. Officials said that the tank plays a major role in environmental aspects as it never dries throughout the year and receives rain both through southwest and northeast monsoon.