Shutters of Chembarambakkam dam to be opened by noon

After nearly five years, the shutters of Chembarambakam reservoir will be opened at noon on Wednesday as a precautionary measure to prevent inundation, particularly in the upstream stretches. Residents need not fear flooding in the Adyar, as water release will be minimal.

With a steady increase in inflow of 4,027 cusecs (cubic feet per second) and the water level rising to 21.65 feet at 8 a.m, the Water Resources Department decided to release about 1,000 cusecs into the Adyar.

The reservoir’s storage now stands at 3,028 million cubic feet, against its capacity of 3,645 mcft. It may be recalled that Krishna water was being diverted to this water body to build storage until a few days ago. It received a rainfall of about 10 cm till 6 a.m.

Officials of the WRD noted that the measure to open ahead of time was taken to avoid any backflow in the upstream stretches or Adyar river’s tributaries. The release will be gradually raised at 500 cusecs per hour depending on the inflow of rainwater.

Flood warning has been issued to low-level areas along Adyar river and surplus courses such as Kundrathur, Sirukalathur, Tirumudivakkam and Tiruneermalai. The Adyar river has been widened to carry up to 1 lakh cusecs in the downstream stretch near Saidapet, officials noted.