2,000 cusecs surplus water released from Poondi reservoir

CHENNAI: In view of the monsoon, the Water Resources Department (WRD) on Friday began releasing surplus water from Chennais major drinking water reservoirs in order to maintain safe storage levels. A senior WRD official told TNIE that 2,000 cusecs of water was discharged from Poondi reservoir, while 300 cusecs was released from Chembarambakkam and 200 cusecs from Red Hills. He said according to safety rules, the water level in Poondi must be maintained at 33 feet even though its full capacity is 35 feet. Right now, the level has reached 33.70 feet, which is about 84.49% of the reservoirs total capacity, the official said. Poondi continues to receive good inflow from various sources, including the Ammanpalli dam and the Poondi canal. The present inflow is around 1,280 cusecs, he added. Officials said creating additional space in reservoirs is important during the monsoon, as sudden heavy rain may lead to a sharp rise in water levels. Controlled release of surplus water will help prevent flooding in low-lying areas and ensure smooth reservoir management. Across the city, the combined storage in the six main drinking water reservoirs stands at 11.17 Tmcft, which is 84.54% of their full capacity of 13.22 Tmcft. Authorities are closely monitoring the inflow, rain forecasts, and catchment conditions. WRD officials said with more rains expected over the next few days, regular reviews are being held to decide on further releases.