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Chennai, Oct 26 (IANS) Tamil Nadu’s water resources have started getting significant benefits with the onset of the northeast monsoon, with storage levels in nearly 2,000 additional irrigation tanks recorded above 75 per cent capacity in the last ten days.
According to Water Resources Department data, as of October 15, only 2,622 tanks across the state had storage above 75 per cent.
By Saturday, that number had increased to 4,556 tanks – an increase of 1,934 in just 10 days. The figure also represents a substantial improvement compared to the same period last year, when 3,197 tanks had reached the same storage level (by October 21, 2024).
Of the total tanks that have achieved 100 per cent capacity, 396 are located in Kanniyakumari district, 266 in Tiruvannamalai, 243 in Ranipet, 241 in Madurai, 189 in Thanjavur and 137 in Villupuram.
Among the districts showing the highest increase in tank levels, the highest increase was recorded in Villupuram, where 131 tanks reached full storage, followed by 120 tanks in Madurai and 111 tanks in Tiruvannamalai.
Neighboring districts of Chennai, Chengalpattu and Kanchipuram have also reported improvement in storage, with 50 and 62 tanks now filled respectively.
Officials said the rise in water level reflects the well-distributed rainfall pattern during the first phase of the northeast monsoon that began on October 16.
Apart from the filled tanks, 2,274 other tanks currently have tanks ranging from 76 per cent to 99 per cent of their capacity.
Kanniyakumari district tops the category with 788 tanks, followed by Thanjavur (263), Madurai (220), Pudukottai (144), and Tenkasi (109).
Madurai has seen the highest increase in tanks within this range, with 189 more tanks nearing full capacity compared to last week, followed by Kanniyakumari (122) and Thanjavur (95).
Officials are hopeful that the number of tanks reaching full capacity is likely to increase further in the coming weeks, with the India Meteorological Department predicting above average rainfall for the remainder of the season. He said higher tank storage would naturally improve the groundwater level and reduce dependence on borewells.
For farmers, who already benefit from free power supply, this means less groundwater withdrawals and more sustainable irrigation patterns across the state.
–IANS
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