Cauvery water inundates residential areas in Namakkal district

NAMAKKAL: Surplus water being released from the Mettur dam inundated low-lying residential areas on the banks of the Cauvery river in Namakkal district on Monday. Residents in Kumarapalayam and Pallipalayam regions were evacuated and lodged in temporary camps.

When the Mettur dam reached its maximum capacity of 120 feet, around 1.25 lakh cubic feet of water was being released through the 16-vent surplus sluice gates. Municipal authorities in Pallipalayam and Kumarapalayam issued warnings via loudspeakers to residents living on the Cauvery banks, appealing to them to move to temporary camps. Police intervened, advising those who were reluctant to leave their homes to move to the camps.

Electricity board employees disconnected power supply to flooded areas as a precaution.

In Kumarapalayam, 30 families from the Manimekalai Street area were sheltered at a Municipal High School, while 50 families from Indira Nagar were accommodated in a municipal marriage hall. They were given food and essential medical care.

Meanwhile, authorities banned visitors to the Kodiveri dam near Gobichettipalayam in Erode district due to flooding in the Bhavani river. The water level in the Bhavanisagar Dam reached 99 feet on Sunday, with the inflow to the dam continuing to rise.

A water resources department official said, "We will release 3,000 - 10,000 cusecs of water from the dam once the water level hits 100 feet."

With a flood warning issued for the Bhavani river, revenue officials and police were monitoring more than 50 villages on the riverbanks.



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