Discharge from Chembarambakkam lake in TN reduced

Authorities on Thursdaydrastically scaled down the discharge from Chembarambakkamlake here, a day after releasing a torrent of surplus waterinto river Adyar following heavy rains as cyclone Nivarapproached the coast.

Residents heaved as sigh of relief on seeing lesserwater gushing out today as delayed opening of the reservoir in2015 after very heavy rains was seen as a trigger for thedevastating floods that hit the city then, though thegovernment had rejected it.

Officials of the Water Resources Department (WRD) reducedthe discharge from about 5,000 cusecs on Wednesday to about1,500 cusecs today as inflows into the lake declined sharply.

The quantum of discharge is likely to be brought furtherdown to 500 cusecs to maintain the water level in the lake at22 feet as against its full level of 24 feet,officials said.

“This is being done anticipating more rains this northeastmonsoon period,” a senior official said.

At present, the level at Chembarambakkam stood at 21.86ft.

All arrangements were in place and there has been no lossof lives as people living in low lying areas of Adyar riverwere evacuated to safer places, ahead of the water release, asenior official at the Greater Chennai Corporation said.

Posting a video of the Adyar river gushing with water, DrAlby John, Regional DC, South region, Greater ChennaiCorporation, tweeted, “Adyar River at River view AvenueAlso, the outflow from Chembarambakkam lake is reduced fromthis morning.” The gates of Chembarambakkam reservoir, one of the fourkey drinking water resources catering to the city, wereopened yesterday for the first time in five years as aprecautionary measure, after its storage was just 20 per centshort of its capacity due to heavy rains ahead of the incomingcyclone.

Meanwhile, people thronged the lake to see it brimmingwith water and the Adyar river as well.

Officials however warned them against getting too closeto the water bodies.

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