Good News For Cauvery Delta Farmers: Storage Level in Karnataka Reservoirs Far Better Than Last Year

This year’s south-west monsoon has brought a happy augury to Cauvery delta farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The storage levels in key reservoirs in Karnataka is far better than what it was during the same time last year, data from Karnataka government showed.

For example, the level in Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir is 38.90 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet as on 13 July morning compared with a meagre 5.80 TMC a year ago. The dam’s capacity is 45.05 TMC, which means with an inflow of nearly 40,000 cusecs currently could see regular outflow from it for the next few days. This will fill downstream reservoirs, particularly the Stanley reservoir in Mettur, Tamil Nadu.

Similarly, the level in Kabini is 14.28 TMC against its capacity of 15.67 TMC. Last year, the reservoir level was 5.08 TMC. The reservoir is receiving inflows to the tune of 45,000 cusecs a day in the last couple of days.

The outflow has helped in the storage level at Mettur’s Stanley reservoir rise above 75 feet against a capacity of 125 feet with inflows above 40,000 cusecs currently. Last year, the level was one-third of this. This should help Tamil Nadu delta farmers sowing the summer or Samba paddy.

The south-west monsoon that began on 1 June has brought 16 per cent excess rainfall to south interior Karnataka, 31 per cent excess to Tamil Nadu and four per cent excess to Kerala as on 11 July, an India Meteorological Department data said. Rainfall in north Karnataka is four per cent deficient.