Cyclone Mandous: Water to be released from Chembarambakkam

Cyclone Mandous has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm in Bay of Bengal and is moving at a speed of 12 km per hour towards Tamil Nadu. It is expected to make landfall near Mamallapuram tonight.Due to Cyclone Mandous, light to very heavy rains are lashing in various districts of Tamil Nadu. Especially in Chennai, it has been raining heavily since last night with strong winds.Due to continuous downpour, the main water sources of Chennai, the lakes of Chembarambakkam, Puzhal and Poondi are filling up fast.Puzhal Lake, which is the main source of drinking water, has a total height of 21 feet, with current water level at 17 feet.For drinking purpose, 159 cubic feet of water has been discharged so far.