The generous monsoon this year has infused new life into the river. With the combined rate of outflow from the reservoirs being 75,000 cusecs to 1,00,000 cusecs, the Cauvery, barely visible in summer, is now a river in spate. It is at the Hogenakkal falls that the river tumbles down, after traversing for 64 km along the inter-State boundary. The river spreads into the Mettur Dam in Salem district, the largest in Tamil Nadu with a capacity of 93.47 thousand million cubic feet. At the Upper Anicut, or Mukkombu (which is about 15 km above Tiruchi), the Cauvery splits into two, with the southern branch retaining the original name and the other, known as Coleroon (Kollidam in Tamil), and drains into the sea near Portonovo (Parangipettai) in Cuddalore district.

Source: The Hindu July 28, 2018 18:45 UTC