Tirunelveli: The main crop season, 'Pisanam' that failed the farmers consecutively for the past couple of years, has started in full swing due to the ongoing monsoon rains that is expected to further intensify along the western ghats in the Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts.
The two major dams--Papanasam with a maximum storage capacity of 143-ft and Servalaru dam having a permissible storage level of 156-ft across Thamirabarani river in Tirunelveli district are almost brimming with 142.60-ft and 144.47-ft respectively on Thursday.
Papanasam dam received a good inflow of 1754.73 cusecs, while level has been maintained at 142 ft. Similarly the Servalarau dam that was just two-ft short of its maximum capacity on Wednesday evening, was maintained at 144.47-ft said a PWD official, who added that the total discharge from the two major dams in the district hence was increased to 3000 cusecs on Thursday.
The Ambasamudram tahsildar has issued a warning to the public not to take bath in the river or in the channels as a part of the flood water discharged in the river is being diverted to the irrigation channels.
People living in the low-lying areas near the river in Tirunelveli districts were instructed to move on to safer places due as the discharge is expected to be increased further.
All the five smaller dams, Ramanadhi dam, Gadananathi dam, Karuppanadhi dam, Gundar Dam and Adavinainar dam in the newly created Tenkasi district too are overflowing to the great jubilation of the farming community who started the 'pisanam' paddy cultivation.
Manimuthar dam, being the largest of all the eleven dams in Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts, however, has only 66.90 per cent of water (79-ft against its fullest capacity of 118ft) The inflow to the dam on Thursday was 1040 cusecs.
"As the rains are expected to continue till the middle of December, Manimutharu dam too will get to its maximum," said a PWD official, who added that the present availability of water is more than adequate for paddy cultivation in a total 80,000 acres of traditionally paddy cultivating areas in the three southern districts of Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Thoothukudi till the end of the 'pisanam' season in February next year.
