Dam Water Levels Rise Across Tamil Nadu: From Mettur To Mullaperiyar, Check Water Levels Today

Tamil Nadu's major dams are seeing a significant rise in water levels, thanks to consistent rainfall in the catchment areas across Karnataka and Kerala.

The most notable development is at the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur, where water levels are quickly approaching the full reservoir mark of 120 feet. As of Thursday, the level stood at 112.73 feet, buoyed by Karnataka releasing 50,000 cusecs from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) dam into the Cauvery River.

The inflow from Karnataka is expected to reach Mettur by Thursday evening, with further increases likely if the monsoon intensifies, as anticipated in early July. Simultaneously, Kabini dam is also contributing to the Cauvery system, releasing around 12,000 cusecs, with its water level now at 59.21 feet against a full level of 65 feet.

Tamil Nadu officials have already begun preparing for efficient water management for agriculture, drinking water supply, and flood mitigation.

Meanwhile, in the Mullaperiyar dam, located in Kerala but operated by Tamil Nadu, the water level has crossed 133 feet, nearing the threshold for mandatory release. With inflows crossing 5,900 cusecs, Tamil Nadu has informed Kerala authorities of the likely opening of the spillway shutters on Friday. However, questions are being raised again over delayed communication, with Kerala pointing out that the first flood warning should have been issued at 134 feet as per Central Water Commission guidelines.

At present, 1,867 cusecs of water from Mullaperiyar is being diverted to the Vaigai dam in Tamil Nadu, which has now reached 62.01 feet out of a full capacity of 72 feet. In anticipation of further inflow, shutters at the Vaigai dam have already been opened, and water is being released to benefit farmers in Ramanathapuram district.

On Wednesday, 3,000 cusecs were released to aid traditional 'poorvika paasanam' irrigation methods.

Elsewhere, the Bhavanisagar dam in Erode is also steadily filling up. Located on the Bhavani River, it recorded a water level of 91.22 feet out of 105 feet as of Wednesday, with an inflow of 4,966 cusecs. The dam currently stores 21.84 TMC of water against its total capacity of 32.8 TMC.