Chennai: The southwest monsoon has nearly shattered the hopes of the state water managers who had expected aplenty at the onset of the season in June last.
With the season coming to a close on Tuesday, the state reservoirs recorded minus 17 per cent departure from the normal storage, second only to united Andhra, which was worst-hit among the four southern states with the major reservoirs there showing –32% departure from normal storage.
The weekly water storage report prepared by Central Water Commission (dated 25.09.2014) for 85 major reservoirs in the country, shows the six major reservoirs of the state, lower Bhavani, Mettur, Vaigai, Paambikulam, Aliyar and Sholayara, as showing a –17 departure from normal storage. The state cannot take solace from the departure reducing from –65% to –17% since June 5 and September 25 considering that SW monsoon accounts for most of interior Tamil Nadu’s rainfall in a water year. The storage position of 93.47tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) Mettur Stanley Reservoir, the arterial irrigation source fed by Cauvery River, is ample indicator of the season not being bountiful to the expected level, particularly for the areas fed by Cauvery River.
The live storage capacity at FRL (full reservoir level) was only 55 per cent on Thursday last, at least 11 per cent less than last 10 years average, and even worse if one were to go by last year’s 80 per cent.
However, the storage of reservoirs in TN-Kerala border, Parambikulam, Alayar and Sholayar, was a real silver lining with the three dams storing 100 per cent of their FRL even last week.
