Mysuru: After a three-year-long drought with all the reservoirs in Cauvery catchment area having reached full reservoir levels because of the record rainfall, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy offered 'Baagina' to river Cauvery at Harangi reservoir in Kodagu district, as a gesture of thanks to ‘Mother Nature’ on Thursday. His wife Anita Kumaraswamy joined him for the special poojas. Water resources minister D.K. Shivakumar, Public Works minister H D Revanna Tourism Minister Sa Ra Mahaesh, BJP MLAs K.G Bopaiah (Virajpet) and M.P. Appachu Ranjan (Madikeri), and MLCs Sunil Subramani and Veena Achaiah participated in the function.
Harangi reservoir is the second after Kabini to fill to the brim in the State this year. Kumaraswamy will follow this up with Cauvery poojas at Talacauvery in Kodagu on Friday morning, and later he will offer baagina to the Kapila at Kabini reservoir and the Cauvery again at KRS on Friday. He will participate in Aashada Friday poojas at Chamundeswari temple atop the Chamundi Hills which will begin on Friday.
Expressing his happiness that all the reservoirs have filled up after good rains, the CM said: “Kodagu has received this huge record rainfall after 35 years. I am here to respond to problems of people of Kodagu, which is the birthplace of the Cauvery.” Holding a meeting of officers on the losses incurred by people of Kodagu, due to rain havoc, he said, “Personnel from Hassan and Mysuru are being deputed to reinstate electricity connections in Kodagu.”
Authorities at reservoirs said that while the Kabini reservoir filled on June 15, Harangi on July 7, and KRS and Hemavathi on 14 July, it is usually on the day that Chief Minister offers Bagina to rivers at reservoirs, that the maximum level is recorded. And with CM's programme to offer Bagina slotted on Thursday and Friday, outflow from all the reservoirs was reduced on Thursday. As on July 19, the KRS (78,04,11,672 cusecs) and Kabini (78,15,22,776 cusecs) received more than 78 lakh cusecs of water each from June 1 till July 18. During the same period, 34,58,31,120 cusecs of water was released from the KRS reservior and 64,06,78,770 cusecs from the Kabini reservoir this water year.
According to water resources department sources, on Thursday, 26,844 cusecs of water was released from the KRS reservoir and 35,800 cusecs from the Kabini reservoir. With good outflow from the state, water level at the Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu stood at 102.680 feet as against its full capacity 120 feet, on Wednesday. The sources said 24,300 cusecs of water was released from the Hemavathi reservoir and 9100 cusecs from the Harangi reservoir on Thursday.
