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No rain, brace for water rationing!

KRS had only 6.72 TMC ft, Hemavathi 5.18 TMC ft, Harangi 1.47 TMC ft and Kabini 3.2 TMC ft as on Saturday.

BENGALURU: Bengaluru should brace for water rationing if rain gods don't shower mercy over the Cauvery catchment area. Last year, as the rain was good over the Cauvery catchment areas of Wayanad, Malanad, Hassan and Kodagu, all the four Cauvery basin dams - KRS, Hemavathi, Kabini and Harangi - were at their capacity levels in July, while there has been a severe shortfall of rain this year.

According to the data accessed from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), KRS had only 6.72 TMC ft, Hemavathi 5.18 TMC ft, Harangi 1.47 TMC ft and Kabini 3.2 TMC ft as on Saturday.

A senior official at the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board said that at present water storage levels at KRS, water can be supplied to Bengaluru only till July-end. "If rains do not improve and inflow does not increase, we have no option but to ration the supply," said a BWSSB official.

At present, the board supplies 1,300-1,400 MLD of water to its 9.13 lakh consumers on alternate days. If the situation does not improve by August, the supply will be reduced to twice a week.

"Of our total supply, nearly three-fourths comes from KRS, while the rest is from the remaining three dams. But the present levels at the KRS dam are really worrying," the official said.

He said that the state government is constantly updated on water levels at these dams. "As of now, we have not decided on rationing. But if things get worse, we may ask the government to release water only for drinking purpose, and we also have to ration the supply. That is the only option," he explained.

At the same time, officials are confident that rains will pick up over the Cauvery catchment and increase the inflow.

The weatherman said that the rains have picked over Kodagu since Friday and inflows to Harangi will increase in the next few days.

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