Mettur Dam at brim!

The largest water basin of TamilNadu, the Mettur Dam has crossed the full reservoir level of 120 feet on Sunday night has widespread smile across everyone face. Just like a newborn baby, the over inflow of water in Cauvery River creates a celebration mindset across the state esp. the districts of delta which were left to drought for the last two years. The dam was last seen touching its maximum level of 121 feet in 2005 has took 8 years to behold a certain look, thanks to the southwest monsoon and heavy rainfall in the catchment of Cauvery lifting the water level that had gone down up to 15 feet in June.

The dam crossed 100 ft last week after two years gap, following Krishnarajasagar and Kabini dams releasing surplus water of 90,000, the outflow had reached over 1,00,000 cusecs. Also with the increase in discharge, the power generation by the Mettur Hydro power station has reached the maximum of 250 MW. Meanwhile people were issued warning through beating of drums in interior villages and people living along the water catchment area to move to safer place. It is just the monsoon and heavy rainfall in Karnataka that made possible filling up the Mettur Dam rather receiving the share of water in Cauvery.

In its 79 years of history, this was the 38^th time the dam has touched the full reservoir level. The Mettur Dam is one of the largest and oldest dams in India and it is constructed in a gorge, where the Cauvery River enters the plains.

I have crossed the Mettur Dam less than half a dozen times and explored it once after its Platinum Jubilee celebrating in 2010. The first image was captured from a view point, on the hillock adjacent to the Mettur Dam which supports the dam at one end and the other one was shot from the opposite side, overlooking Ellis Park across the Mettur Dam and less amount of water released through upper shutters. The water level was about 75 feet then! I have number of photos on the Mettur Dam and things to share which I will do later soon.