Flows from the uncontrolled catchment of the Thenpennai river accentuated the flood situation in the river, according to officials handling the situation.
While the flood flows of the Sathanur dam in Tiruvannamalai district went up to 1.68 lakh cubic feet per second (cusecs) in the early hours of Monday (December 2), areas downstream of the dam had also contributed, on an average, 80,000 cusecs to the river. For example, Thirukoilur anicut had begun discharging nearly 1 lakh cusecs before the commencement of heavy flood flows from Sathanur.
Several parts of Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, which recorded extremely heavy rainfall, had contributed to the heavy flows to Sathanur. Uthangarai recorded 50 cm during the 24-hour period that ended at 8-30 am on December 2 (Monday); Harur – 33 cm and Pochampalli, 25 cm. Likewise, areas downstream of the dam which encompassed many places of Cuddalore, Kallakurichi and Villupuram districts received heavy to very heavy rainfall. Among them were Vanur – 24 cm; Thandarampettai – 15 cm and Ulundurpet – 11 cm.
A veteran water expert, quoting a Tamil proverb, observes that the river is traditionally known for flash floods. Originating in Nandi Hills of Karnataka, Thenpennai flows for over 300 km in Tamil Nadu. Downstream of the Sathanur dam, the river traverses for about 120 km before draining into the sea at Thazhanguda, about 5 km north of Cuddalore town. One of the large inter-State rivers in the southern region of the country, the South Pennar runs for a total length of 432 km. It has 14 tributaries such as Chinnar West Chinnar East,.Markandeya Nadhi, .Pambar, Vaniyar, and Aliyar. It has seven major anicuts including Nedungal anicut, Tirukkoilur anicut, Ellis choultry anicut and Sornavur anicut
On Wednesday morning, the river had a flow of about 23,000 cusecs at Ellis, while the discharge from the dam was reduced to 18,000 cusecs. During the 24-hour period that ended at 8 am on Wednesday, the dam released around 23,000 cusecs.
Published – December 05, 2024 12:31 am IST
