Water storage in 18 reservoirs across Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanyakumari districts has fallen to 20.7 per cent of combined capacity, substantially below the level recorded on the same day last year, according to the Water Resources Department’s daily report.
The reservoirs held a combined 4,573.03 million cubic feet (mcft) of water as of Wednesday, against their total capacity of 22,092.74 mcft. On the corresponding day last year, the combined storage was 12,702.26 mcft, nearly three times the current level.
The lower storage has been recorded despite widespread rainfall across the three southern districts over the past week. The reservoirs received cumulative rainfall of 335.2 mm during the period covered by the department’s report. However, the rainfall was unevenly distributed across the basin divisions and did not result in a comparable increase in overall storage.
The Kodayar basin division received 177.2 mm of rainfall, while the Chittar basin division recorded 112 mm. Among the major reservoirs, Perunchani received the highest rainfall at 61.4 mm. Papanasam recorded 4 mm.
Papanasam reservoir received an inflow of 1,828.599 cusecs and held 790 mcft of water against its capacity of 5,500 mcft. Manimutharu reservoir contained 1,052.90 mcft against a capacity of 5,511 mcft.
In Kanyakumari district, Pechiparai reservoir held 1,284.45 mcft and Perunchani held 651.35 mcft. Mambalathuraiyar reservoir had the highest storage level among the 18 reservoirs at 69.3 per cent of capacity. Gundaru reservoir in Tenkasi district followed at 64.5 per cent.
Storage levels were considerably lower in some reservoirs. Vadakkupachayar reservoir in Tirunelveli district had water equal to only 1.8 per cent of its capacity, indicating a sharp variation in water availability within the three-district region.
The figures show that recent rainfall has not translated into uniform reservoir recovery. The Water Resources Department data indicates that storage remains significantly below last year’s level, while rainfall has varied substantially between the Kodayar and Chittar basin divisions and individual reservoirs.
The department’s daily report provides the latest recorded storage, rainfall and inflow details for the reservoirs. Further changes will depend on subsequent rainfall and inflows into the individual water bodies.
