Flood Alert Issued for Bhavani River Residents in Erode

Erode, Tamil Nadu, Aug 5 (PTI): The Public Works Department and Revenue Department have issued a flood alert on Tuesday morning for residents living along the banks of the Bhavani River. Officials cited heavy rainfall and the release of water from various dams in Coimbatore and Nilgiris districts as the reasons behind this advisory. They indicated that the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) Reservoir will discharge a significant volume of surplus water once the water level reaches 102 feet.

As of 8 a.m. on Tuesday, the reservoir was receiving 6,937 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water. The water level was recorded at 101.71 feet, just shy of the reservoir's full capacity of 105 feet, with storage at 30.08 thousand million cubic feet (TMC), compared to its total capacity of 32.8 TMC. Officials warned that inflow and storage levels might rise unexpectedly, potentially increasing the volume of water discharged—all of which would flow into the river.

Authorities urged residents of Bhavanisagar, Sathyamangalam, Gobichettipalayam, and Bhavani to relocate to safer areas along with their cattle and belongings, to prevent any unfortunate incidents.

At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, authorities were releasing 2,800 cusecs of water from the dam. Of this, 1,500 cusecs were directed into the LBP canal, 800 cusecs into the Thadapalli and Arakkankottai canals, 400 cusecs into the Kalingarayan canal, and 100 cusecs into the Bhavani River, to be used for drinking water in the Sathyamangalam and Gobichettipalayam areas.

Police and Revenue officials are actively visiting the LBP canal area and the Bhavani River Bank to assist in the evacuation of residents and their properties.

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