Discharge from KRS, Kabini reservoirs reaches Biligundlu

COIMBATORE: Timely rains in Karnataka have come as saving grace to farmers in the Delta region as water released from the Krishna Raja Sagar and Kabini dams has started to flow into Tamil Nadu on Tuesday.

Flow in Biligundlu, the entry point of Cauvery into Tamil Nadu from Karnataka surged to over 4,000 cusecs on Tuesday, 7 pm from less than 1,000 cusecs on Monday. With the combined discharge from KRS and Kabini dams going above 13,000 cusecs, the inflow into Tamil Nadu is likely to increase further in the coming days.

The release of water comes after storage levels in Karnataka dams reached comfortable positions following heavy rains in their catchment areas. Public Works Department (PWD) officials hope that the increased inflow will make storage position in Mettur better.

Water level in the dam stood at 66.860 feet as against its full reservoir level of 120 feet on Tuesday. The dam’s storage began to dip drastically after it was opened for kuruvai cultivation on the customary date of June 12, when it had storage of 103.350 feet.

Inflow into the dam was 119 cusecs while 10,000 cusecs of water was released for drinking purposes. Flood alert along Bhavani Meanwhile, a flood alert has been issued to people living along the banks of River Bhavani as Pillur dam has reached its brim.

Torrential rains in catchment areas in The Nilgiris, with the onset of South West Monsoon, have led to a sharp increase in inflow into the dam. From an inflow of 6,500 cusecs on Monday night, the flow almost doubled up to 14,000 cusecs on Tuesday by 11am.

Water level in the dam increased sharply from 89 feet on Monday to 96.50 feet on Tuesday. The inflow however dropped to 10,000 cusecs around 2.30 pm as rains slowed down.