The water level in the Bhavanisagar Dam dropped below 55 feet on Wednesday (June 24, 2026), against its full reservoir level of 105 feet.The water level stood at 54.46 feet and the storage was 5.59 tmc ft, as against the dam’s full capacity of 32.8 tmc ft, at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The inflow was 36 cusecs, while 450 cusecs was being discharged into the Arakkankottai and Thadapalli canals.An official attached to the Water Resources Department said the inflow had remained very low over the past three to four months and the recent rains had not resulted in any significant increase in inflow. The official added that only substantial rainfall in the catchment areas would lead to a rise in inflow to the reservoir. Water release into the Kalingarayan Canal was expected by the end of this month, while water release into the Lower Bhavani Project (LBP) canal was likely to commence in August.The reservoir, also known as the Lower Bhavani Dam, irrigated 2.07 lakh acres through the LBP canal in Erode, Karur and Tiruppur districts. It also supplied water to 17,654 acres through the Thadapalli Canal, 15,743 acres through the Kalingarayan Canal and 6,850 acres through the Arakkankottai Canal.Expressing concern over the poor storage level, farmers said that with less than six tmc ft of water available in the reservoir, only a good monsoon could safeguard their crops. They also alleged that water was being illegally extracted from the reservoir and its channels and urged the authorities to take stringent action against the violators. Published - June 24, 2026 06:54 pm IST