Monsoon boosts water inflow into reservoirs

Bengaluru: The southwest monsoon has made a strong entry into Karnataka, and the state has been witnessing intense rainfall over the last 10 days. This has led to a substantial rise in water inflow into various reservoirs, significantly boosting storage levels. Three major reservoirs are now filled up to nearly three-fourths of their capacity, and one reservoir is almost completely full.

The monsoon officially arrived in the state on May 24. From day one, the rainfall has been heavy and widespread across regions. Although there has been a slight dip in intensity over the past two to three days, the overall effect remains impressive. In just 10 days, around 80 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water has flowed into the state’s reservoirs, contributing to a notable increase in their levels.

According to data released by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), 14 major reservoirs in the state collectively held 332 TMC of water on June 4. This is a steep increase from 252 TMC recorded on May 24, showing a gain of 80 TMC within just 10 days. Currently, reservoirs are at about 36 percent of their total combined storage capacity of 895 TMC. In the Cauvery river basin, the rainfall has brought considerable inflow. Reservoirs such as Harangi and Kabini are now filled up to approximately 73 percent of their capacity, while Hemavathi and Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) are each about half full. The improvement in these storages has been attributed to widespread and sustained rains in the catchment areas of the Cauvery and its tributaries.