Mysuru: After a feeble monsoon threatened the state with yet another drought, belated showers in the catchment area of the Cauvery has now resulted in two reservoirs in the river’s basin getting filled to the brim. Nearly two months after the Harangi Dam was filled, water level in Kabini is now inching closer to its full capacity.

Heavy rainfall in Waynad in Kerala saw the inflow to Kabini Dam at HD Kote in Mysuru rise to 17,000 cusecs in the past few days, and the reservoir is likely to start pumping out water from Tuesday.

The water level at Kabini just two feet shy of its capacity of 2,284ft, and given the massive rise in inflow, it possible that the reservoir could filled to the brim as early as Monday night.

Level of Kabini Dam

The storage level of Kabini Dam was hovering around the 2,260ft-mark for a long time before things began looking up following heavy rainfall in August. The reservoir serves as a lifeline for farmers in Chamarajanagar, besides storing drinking water to Mysuru.
For long, Kabini Dam held the distinction of getting filled up within a few weeks of the onset of the monsoon. Copious rainfall in Kerala often resulted in massive inflow into the reservoir. However, this year, the water level is touching the brim this year only in the third week of September, partially as a result of Karnataka releasing water to Tamil Nadu from the dam.

With monsoons getting active again, heavy rainfall in Kodagu has seen the inflow into Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam rise, and the water level at the Mandya reservoir could touch the 110-ft mark. Although the water level at KRs, which close to 104ft last week, slipped after water released for agriculture, is likely to increase again.

Amid a surplus of heartening updates, the low water storage levels at the Hemavathi Dam at Gorur in Hassan makes for bleak reading.

Meanwhile, people in all three taluks in Kodagu – Madikeri, Virajpet and Somwarpet – are rejoicing as heavy showers pounded the district. Virajpet, in particular, has seen heavy showers, and the taluk administration on Sunday declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Monday as a precautionary measure.

Madikeri is 34.23cm

As on Monday, the average rainfall that Kodagu had received this monsoon season was 194.64cm, higher than last year’s figure of 160.09cm. Meanwhile, the average rainfall in Madikeri 34.23cm, while Thalacauvery, the birthplace of the Cauvery has received 508cm rain.

The total rainfall recorded in Madikeri this monsoon season  274.32cm, which is appreciably higher than what recorded last year (243.713cm). Virajpet taluk has received 156.89cm rain this season, while Somwarpet , which decalred drought-hit last year, has received 152.44cm rain, compared to 124.30cm in the corresponding period last year.

Although the showers have eased the nerves of many, farmers fear that the rain could end up having an adverse effect in the coffee, pepper and ginger crops. Agriculture department officials said that, of the 30,500 hectares across the state that paddy has sown on, transplantation has completed on 25,497 hectares.

Water level at Harangi Dam was 2,857.21feet, against its capacity storage of 2,859feet on Monday. The reservoir registered an inflow of 3,595 cusecs on Monday, while 1,000 cusecs released to the river, besides 400 cusecs let into the canal.

Heavy rain in Kodagu

Located on the Kodagu-Mysuru border, the dam reached its maximum storage capacity on July 23, forcing the authorities to release excessive water through the four crest gates. However, the water level of the dam has hovered around the 2,857ft-mark since.
Heavy rain is likely to continue in Kodagu for the next few days with the University of Agricultural Sciences at Naganahalli, Mysuru forecasting that the district would receive 50mm rain on Tuesday and 40mm on both Wednesday and Thursday.

Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts too are likely to receive around 20-40mm rainfall over the next few days. Kodagu has recorded 39.4mm rainfall in 24 hours since September 16.