Key Points

The Sathanur Dam, standing 119 feet high, has a storage capacity of 7,321 million cubic feet (mcft). The reservoir provides irrigation water to nearly 50,000 acres of farmland spread across Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Vellore, Kallakurichi, and Cuddalore districts, through its extensive network of left and right bank canals.

It also supplies drinking water to Tiruvannamalai Corporation and several surrounding villages under a joint water supply scheme. In addition, a hydroelectric power generation project utilising surplus discharge from the dam is currently in progress.

Due to the recent heavy rains, the inflow into the reservoir has surged to around 6,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs). To ensure structural safety, engineers have reduced the water level to 111.80 feet and opened 12 sluice gates, releasing about 9,000 cusecs of water into the Thenpennai River.

The release has caused the river to swell, resulting in flooding across several low-lying areas downstream. Komanthanmedu and Chitheri Anicut causeways have gone underwater, disrupting vehicular movement between key villages.

Local administration officials have warned residents living along the riverbanks not to venture into the water or attempt to cross submerged causeways.

Officials from the Water Resources Department and district administration are maintaining round-the-clock surveillance on the reservoir’s inflow and outflow.

With the northeast monsoon expected to intensify in the coming days, the department has issued renewed flood alerts for settlements along the Thenpennai basin and advised people to remain cautious.

The Sathanur Dam, built across the Pennaiyar River and commissioned in 1958, continues to serve as a crucial source of irrigation and drinking water for northern Tamil Nadu, but the current spate of heavy rainfall has once again highlighted the delicate balance between storage, safety, and flood control.

- IANS