Reservoir · Tamil Nadu · India · CWC · SOUTHERN region
Papanasam (Manimuthar)
Papanasam Dam
18.0% full
Gross capacity
5.2 TMC (148 MCM)
Live capacity
4.5 TMC (127 MCM)
River
Tamirabarani
Basin
West Flowing
Primary use
multiple
Operator
TNPWD
Coordinates
8.733°N, 77.417°E
Last updated
2026-09-24
Capacity in TMC
Papanasam (Manimuthar) Dam has a gross capacity of 5.2 TMC (148 MCM), of which 4.5 TMC (127 MCM) is live storage; it is currently at 18% full, holding 0.99 TMC (28 MCM).
- Gross capacity
- 5.2 TMC (148 MCM)
- Live capacity
- 4.5 TMC (127 MCM)
- Current storage
- 0.99 TMC (28 MCM)
TMC is thousand million cubic feet, the unit used in Indian water reporting. 1 TMC = 28.3168 million cubic metres (MCM). Figures are converted from the Central Water Commission bulletin, which publishes million cubic metres.
Current fill
18.0%vs 7 days ago
0.0%stable
vs 1 year ago
-37.2%year-over-year
7-day trend
→stable
Drought context
Storage vs September average
49%of normal
18.0% full on 2026-09-24, against an average of 37.0% for September across 2 years of readings (-19.0 points).
Rain over the last three months · 21 September 2026
Moderately dry
In the three months to 21 September 2026 the area around Papanasam (Manimuthar) had well below normal rain, a shortfall seen about one year in six. Rainfall compared with the long-run record for the same season at this point (Copernicus Global Drought Observatory, SPI-3 index −1.34). Rain, not storage. India drought figures →
Weekly storage
Fill history — multi-year
About this reservoir
Data source
official
Storage data: CWC (Central Water Commission) Weekly Storage Bulletin, India. CWC region: SOUTHERN.
Catchment Weather
Past 30 days + 14-day forecast · Open-Meteo
Satellite imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics. Map: Esri, HERE, Garmin, © OpenStreetMap contributors. 8.733, 77.417 · Open in Google Maps
About Papanasam Dam
As of September 24, 2026, Papanasam Dam is filled to 18.0% of its total capacity, holding 0.99 TMC (28 MCM) of a gross 5.2 TMC (148 MCM). At this level the reservoir is critically low. Of that total, 4.5 TMC (127 MCM) is live storage.
Over the most recent week on record the fill level has held broadly steady (+0.0 pts), and it is 37.2 points below its level on the same date a year earlier.
Across the readings we hold for Papanasam Dam — 73 data points between April 3, 2025 and September 24, 2026 — the level has ranged from a low of 18.0% (September 17, 2026) to a high of 82.6% (December 26, 2025). On average the reservoir is fullest around December and at its lowest around September.
It is operated by TNPWD primarily for multiple purposes. It lies within the West Flowing basin at 8.733°N, 77.417°E.
Key facts
- Current fill level
- 18.0%
- Water stored
- 0.99 TMC (28 MCM)
- Total capacity
- 5.2 TMC (148 MCM)
- Usable capacity
- 4.5 TMC (127 MCM)
- 7-day change
- No change
- Year-on-year
- ▼ 37.2 pts
- Primary use
- Multipurpose
- River
- Tamirabarani
- River basin
- West Flowing
- Operator
- TNPWD
- Coordinates
- 8.733°N, 77.417°E
- Last updated
- September 24, 2026
Recent readings
| Date | Fill level | Volume (hm³) |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Sep 2026 | 17.9% | 28 |
| 17 Sep 2026 | 17.9% | 28 |
| 10 Sep 2026 | 18.6% | 29 |
| 3 Sep 2026 | 19.2% | 30 |
| 27 Aug 2026 | 20.5% | 32 |
| 20 Aug 2026 | 22.3% | 35 |
| 13 Aug 2026 | 24.4% | 38 |
| 6 Aug 2026 | 25.6% | 40 |
| 30 Jul 2026 | 26.8% | 42 |
| 23 Jul 2026 | 29.3% | 46 |
| 16 Jul 2026 | 31.2% | 49 |
| 9 Jul 2026 | 32.6% | 51 |