Heavy rain leaves lakes around Chennai brimming

Combined storage in Chennai reservoirs will last five months

Update: 2015-11-14 06:06 GMT
Water being pumped out of Egmore subway on Friday. (Photo: DC)
ChennaiWith heavy rain lashing the city for over a week, most lakes in and around Chennai have filled to full capacity. A breach in Kavarapalayam lake near Avadi on Friday led to flooding and disrupted traffic on arterial CTH road.
 
Water from the lake entered 200 houses located close to it. Due to flooding, people living at Sekkadu and Kavarapalayam were not able to step out of their houses.
 
Besides, the flooding disrupted traffic on arterial Chennai-Tiruvallur High Road and bus services between Avadi and Tiruvallur were suspended.  “PWD officials have taken steps to seal the breach with sand bags,” said Avadi municipal chairman Nassar.
 
Incessant rain that began on Thursday night brought copious inflows into water bodies. The city received 15 cm rain as per the recordings in Nungambakkam while Kancheepuram and Red Hills recorded 34 cm and 21 cm rain. Several lakes in Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram such as the sprawling Rettai Eri, Korattur Lake and Madurantakam Eri received copious inflows.   Korattur and Retteri lakes, which dried up in summer, are brimming with water thanks to heavy rain. 
 
“Excess water from Korattur lake is being conveyed to Retteri through surplus canal,” an official said. According to PWD officials, Madurantakam lake has filled to its full capacity for the first time after four years. 
 
“Since the water level touched full capacity of 23 feet, excess water of 3000 cusecs is being released. We have given flood alert to 10 villages including Kathiracheri, Mulli, Kavathoor and Devathoor that are located along the banks,” the officials said.
 
Also, water level in reservoirs that supply drinking  water to Chennai — Red Hills, Sholavaram, Chembarambakkam and  Poondi —   have shown an increase with water supply now available  for five months, according to officials. The combined storage of the four reservoirs on Friday touched 3,236 million cubic feet as against its full capacity of 11, 057 mcft.

 

 

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