As Cyclone Burevi brought rain over the catchment areas on Thursday, the Water Resources Department (WRD) released more water from the Chembarambakkam reservoir around noon.
The release, which was a mere 21 cusecs (cubic foot per second) at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, was increased and maintained at 1,000 cusecs on Thursday.
The reservoir at Chembarambakkam received 1,050 cusecs as inflow around 6 p.m. As it recorded 2 cm of rain, the WRD had sustained the storage at 3,179 mcft against its capacity of 3,645 mcft.
Officials said a flood alert was given to areas along the Adyar river, such as Kundrathur, Tiruneermalai and Tirumudivakkam. The river carried around 3,000 cusecs near Kotturpuram around Thursday noon.
Vegetation accumulated at the reservoir’s shutters and near the bund are being cleared and removed. While storage is being built at Red Hills, Cholavaram and Kannankottai Thervoy Kandigai reservoirs, the WRD has also regulated discharge from the one in Poondi according to rainfall and inflow.
It decreased discharge into the Kosasthalaiyar river to nearly 2,900 cusecs by evening.
Poondi’s status
Officials noted that the water released from the Poondi reservoir since November 25 is yet to drain into the sea near the Ennore Creek.
“Water discharged from Poondi is not getting wasted. Flood water has helped recharge Metrowater well fields in Tamaraipakkam and Poondi, and also filled checkdams such as Tamaraipakkam, Thirukandalam and Irulipattu, so far,” an official said. The outflow still has to cover six checkdams in the 24-km stretch of the Kosasthalaiyar river, including in Jagannathapuram, Vannipakkam,Vallur and Sadayankuppam, before it reaches the Ennore Creek.
While about 300 mcft has been diverted to Cholavaram, another drinking water reservoir, about 100 mcft has been stored in checkdams so far.
Similarly, water released into the Palar river has filled the Vayalur checkdam in the tail-end. Wet weather since Cyclone Nivar has filled nearly 545 tanks of the total 909 tanks in Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts.
Another 269 tanks have more than 75% of their capacity.
