Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Intensified monsoon brings widespread rainfall

MADURAI: North East monsoon has intensified bringing in significant inflow to the Periyar dam pushing the water level up by nearly a foot on Friday. Various gauge stations in the Periyar-Vaigai basin recorded good rainfall helping farming activities in Madurai, Dindigul and Sivaganga districts.

Periyar reservoir that recorded 21 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours has brought 2,801 cusecs of inflow. The level has gone up to 119.80 feet (full level 136 feet) with a discharge of 1,163 cusecs.

The level in the Vaigai dam was 58.79 feet (71 feet) with an inflow of 1,117 cusecs and a discharge of 1,660 cusecs. The combined Periyar credit stood at 4,872 mcft.

“The rain, in the range of 20 to 30 mm, has helped improving storage in Periyar dam. But, we need rainfall up to 50 mm in the region so that the tanks get significant inflow,” the Public Works Department Executive Engineer, S. Vijayakumar, said. Only some of the tanks had water 20 per cent of their storage capacity, he added.

Madurai Joint Director of Agriculture (in-charge), S. Sevugaperumal, said the rain would be beneficial for farmers who have taken up nursery raising and planting activities. “All these days, the water released for irrigation was just wetting the dry land and distribution canals. The rain has come at the right time to help the growth of seedlings,” he said.

Mr. Sevugaperumal said that enough stocks of certified seeds for short-term crops such as ADT 36, ADT 43, ADT 45, AST 16 were available at the Agriculture extension centres, traders and cooperative societies. Similarly, adequate fertilizers had been stocked, he added.

Madurai recorded the highest rainfall of 37 mm followed by Tekkadi 33.8, Sittampatti 32.3, Idayapatti 30.4, Thaniyamangalam 26.5, Melur 25, Periyar dam 21, Mettupatti and Kallandiri 20 mm each, Andipatti 19, Gudalur 18, Peranai 14, Sattaiyar dam 13, Shanmuganadi, Marudhanadi and Sothuparai dam 12 mm each, Uthamapalayam and Pulipatti 10 mm each, Vaigai dam and Manjalar dam 5 mm each and Veerapandi 3 mm.

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