Chennai, Oct 26 : The onset of the Northeast monsoon has begun to yield significant benefits for Tamil Nadu's water resources, with nearly 2,000 additional irrigation tanks recording storage levels exceeding 75 per cent capacity over the last ten days.

According to data from the Water Resources Department, as of October 15, only 2,622 tanks across the State had storage above the 75 per cent mark.

By Saturday, this number had surged to 4,556 tanks - an increase of 1,934 within just 10 days. The figure also represents a substantial improvement compared to the same period last year, when 3,197 tanks had reached similar storage levels (as on 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 districts showing the steepest rise in tank levels, Villupuram recorded the highest increase with 131 tanks reaching full storage, followed by Madurai with 120 and Tiruvannamalai with 111.

Neighbouring districts of Chennai, Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram, also reported improved storage, with 50 and 62 tanks respectively now filled.

Officials said that the rise in water levels reflects the well-distributed rainfall pattern during the first phase of the Northeast monsoon, which began on October 16.

In addition to the filled tanks, 2,274 others currently hold between 76 per cent and 99 per cent of their capacity.

Kanniyakumari district tops this 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 the previous week, followed by Kanniyakumari (122) and Thanjavur (95).

Officials expect that with the India Meteorological Department predicting above-average rainfall for the remainder of the season, the number of tanks reaching full capacity is likely to rise further in the coming weeks. Higher tank storage, they added, would naturally improve groundwater levels and reduce dependency on borewells.

For farmers, who already benefit from free power supply, this means less groundwater extraction and a more sustainable irrigation pattern across the state.

/IANS