Flood warning issued in Chennai as 1,000 cusecs of water to be released from Chembarambakkam Lake

CHENNAI: About 1,000 cusecs of water will be released from Chembarambakkam Lake from 8 am on Friday (today), and a first-level flood warning was issued to families living closer to the Adyar River and the villages of Sirukalathur, Kavanur, Kundrathur, Thirumudivakkam, Vazhuthiyambedu, and Thiruneermalai surrounding the lake.
As of 6 am, the water level of the lake stood at 23.29 feet, just 0.71 feet below its full capacity of 24 feet, with a total volume of 3,453 million cubic feet.

Given the rapidly rising inflow of 6,498 cubic feet per second, officials decided to release 1,000 cubic feet per second of water from the lake to begin with.
Authorities warned that the quantum of release will be increased subsequently since the inflow is expected to continue rising due to persistent rainfall in the lake's catchment areas.
The release is intended to manage the surging water levels and prevent potential flooding along the Adyar River, said water resources dept authorities.
Chembarambakkam Lake, a critical water source for Chennai, is located in Kundrathur Taluk of Kanchipuram District, covering an area of 25.51 square kilometres.