Rains gone, Vaigai flood threat too

MADURAI: The flood threat in the Vaigai abated on Wednesday as the catchment areas of the dam experienced no rainfall. Owing to a depression in the Bay of Bengal, Madurai and its neighbouring districts have been experiencing torrential rainfall. As there was continuous rain in catchment areas of the dam, Mullaiperiyar and Vaigai dams have been receiving copious inflow and the storage level in the two dams rose rapidly.At 3 pm on Monday, the storage level stood at 69 feet with an inflow of 3,037 cusecs, which resulted in the authorities sounding the third flood alert. About 1,877 cusecs was released from the dam. The causeways at Arappalayam-Thathaneri, Petchiammal Padithurai-Sellur, Obulapadithurai-Madhichiyam in the city were under water and police banned movement of vehicles along these causeways.With 1,302 cusecs of water flowing in the river with canals also emptying into the river, another flood alert was sounded on Tuesday evening. There was no rain in Madurai and its neighbouring districts on Wednesday and only water from the streams was flowing into the dams.The level in Mullaiperiyar dam at 8.30 am on Wednesday was 132.30 feet with an inflow of 2,966 cusecs and it was releasing 1,258 cusecs.Vaigai dam was getting an inflow of 2,449 cusecs and 1,300 cusecs was discharged for irrigation and 60 cusecs for drinking purposes. This abated the flood threat. The ban on movement of vehicles on the causeways has also been lifted.