Mysuru: The inflow into reservoirs in Cauvery basin region has dipped a whopping 70 per cent owing to deficit rainfall in several parts of the state and Kerala.
While all four reservoirs in the basin region, including KRS, witness an inflow of 125 TMC feet from 1 June till 31 July during a normal monsoon, these reservoirs received only 42 TMC feet this year. Last year by now they had received 170 TMC feet of water. While 30 percent of the water received by these reservoirs has been released to Tamil Nadu as per the directions of Cauvery water management board, the water level at KRS which had increased by 10 feet during this year's monsoon, has again dropped by 7 feet.
Dr G S Srinivasa Reddy, Director, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, explained, "during this south west monsoon from June, South Interior Karnataka has received 23 percent deficient rainfall, North Interior Karnataka has received 18 percent deficient rainfall, coastal Karnataka has received 14 percent deficient rainfall. We are expecting normal rainfall upto 95 percent this month and more rains in September. Yet it will not compensate the shortfall we have had during June and July," he said.
On 14 June, when south west monsoon entered the sttate, water level at KRS dam was 80.26 feet as against its capacity 124.80 feet, Kabini was 2256.26 feet as against its capacity 2284 feet. And even on 30 June, the water level at KRS dam was 79.88 feet and Kabini was 2257.48 feet. But with more rains, and good inflow to reservoirs in Cauvery basin, on 19 July the water level at KRS dam touched 90.05 feet and the water level at Kabini touched 2269.59 feet. The out flow from KRS to canals increased on July 17 and its outflow to river increased on July 19. The outflow to river leading to Tamil Nadu from Kabini increased from 500 to 2500 on 19 July. On Saturday, the water level at KRS dropped to 83.45 feet (last year on the same day its level was 123.36 feet), its inflow was 5104 cusecs and the outflow was 7589 cusecs (6108 cusecs to river leading to Tamil Nadu and 1481 cusecs to canals for irrigation). And water level at Kabini stood at 2273.88 feet (last year on the same day its level was 2282.32feet) and it
s inflow was 2089 cusecs and outflow to river leading to TN was 1000 cusecs.
