more-in THENI With Vaigai dam getting increased inflow for the past few days, the first flood warning for people living downstream is likely to be issued on Monday morning. It would be for the second time in less than two months that the dam is touching 66 feet mark against it maximum storage capacity of 71 ft. Theni Collector M. Pallavi Baldev said the water level in the dam stood at 65.78 feet at 6 p.m. on Sunday. With the inflow of 2,536 cusecs, the level in the dam could touch 66 feet mark around 6 a.m. on Monday, when the first flood warning would be issued, she said. Water level in the dam increased fast in the third week of August even as irrigation for the first crop in Cumbum valley and double-crop area in Madurai and Dindigul districts was going on. This forced the authorities to release water for the single crop area in Madurai and Sivaganga districts too much ahead of schedule. Moreover, the surplus water was also used for trial run of the 58-village irrigation canal scheme that benefited Usilampatti and Nilakottai taluks of Madurai and Dindigul districts respectively. For irrigation Meanwhile, water from Sothuparai dam, which has been surplussing since the first week of October, would be released for irrigation on Monday. A Public Works Department official said 1,825 acres of old ayacut and 1,040 acres of new ayacut in Periyakulam taluk in Theni district would benefit from the release. Thirty cusecs would be released for 152 days, depending on the rain and inflow into the dam. Besides paddy and sugarcane farming in the old ayacut, millets farming is taken up in the new ayacut. Water level in the dam stood at 126.34 feet as against the maximum level of 126 feet.

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