Karnataka cuts Cauvery water release to Tamil Nadu by nearly 57 per cent

Karnataka has sharply reduced the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from the Krishnaraja Sagar and Kabini reservoirs following a decline in rainfall and inflows across the river’s upper catchment areas.

The combined discharge fell to 5,200 cubic feet per second from 11,983 cusecs a day earlier. The decline of 6,783 cusecs amounts to a reduction of nearly 57 per cent within a day.

The fall in releases is significant for Tamil Nadu, as water flowing downstream contributes to storage at the Mettur Dam and supports irrigation across the Cauvery delta. Farmers in the region depend on timely supplies for standing crops and seasonal cultivation.

The Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir, commonly known as KRS, is located at Srirangapatna in Karnataka’s Mandya district. Its catchment extends across Kodagu district and parts of Kerala’s Wayanad region.

Rainfall has stopped in Kodagu, resulting in a steady decline in inflows into the reservoir. By Monday morning, the water level at KRS stood at 106.84 feet against its full reservoir level of 124.80 feet.

Inflows into KRS were recorded at 2,511 cusecs, while the discharge stood at 4,800 cusecs. As the outflow remained higher than the incoming supply, the volume of water stored in the reservoir continued to decrease.

Water availability at the Kabini reservoir in Mysuru district is also being monitored. Its level stood at 2,268.50 feet above sea level, compared with its full reservoir level of 2,284 feet. The reservoir was receiving an inflow of 2,514 cusecs.

Reservoir releases are generally determined after assessing rainfall, inflows, available storage and downstream requirements. With rainfall weakening across the upper Cauvery basin, the authorities are expected to closely track water levels before revising discharge volumes further.

The reduction has renewed concerns over supplies to Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery delta. A fresh spell of rain in Kodagu and Wayanad could improve inflows into KRS, Kabini and other reservoirs across the basin.

With IANS inputs