The surplus water released from the Kabini dam in Karnataka reached the Mettur dam on Tuesday night. Water resources department officials said that if the inflow continues, there is a possibility of releasing water from the dam for delta irrigation in the last week of August or the first week of September.
Due to the southwest monsoon rains in Kerala, the inflow into the Kabini dam in Karnataka has been steadily increasing. Since the Kabini dam is full, surplus water has been being released into the Cauvery as a precautionary measure for safety since Aug. 1. The surplus inflow has caused flooding in the Cauvery.
Three days later, on Tuesday afternoon, the surplus water from Kabini reached the Adipalaaru area within the Mettur reservoir region, frothing and foaming. Water resources department officials said this water reached the Mettur dam on Tuesday night.
Officials also said that since surplus water continues to be released from Kabini, the inflow to the Mettur dam is likely to increase further.
Because of the flood surge, there is a possibility that fishermen’s coracles and nets may be damaged. Fishermen who had been camping on the banks of the Cauvery and fishing there moved their coracles and nets to safer places.
Due to the rainfall in the Cauvery catchment areas in Karnataka, the water level of the Krishnaraja Sagar dam, which has a height of 124.80 feet, has risen to 103.40 feet. Since 31,122 cubic feet of water per second is flowing into the dam, there is a possibility that the Krishnaraja Sagar dam will soon fill up and excess water will be released into the Cauvery.
The full water level of the Kabini dam is 65 feet. At present, the dam’s water level is 63.71 feet, the inflow is 27,988 cubic feet per second, and the water storage is 18.68 TMC.
As rain continues to fall in Kerala, all surplus water from the Kabini dam is being released into the Cauvery. This surplus water will continue to reach the Mettur dam. Due to this, Water Resources Department officials have said there is a possibility of water being released from the Mettur dam for delta irrigation in the last week of August or the first week of September.
Dam status (as of 8 p.m.)
As of 8 p.m. on Tuesday, the water level in the Mettur dam stands at 73.18 feet. The inflow is 4,923 cubic feet per second, and the water storage is 35.49 TMC. For drinking water needs, 1,500 cubic feet of water per second is being released from the dam.
