Water level in KRS reservoir falls below 100 ft, not alarming as yet

Mandya: The water level in the KRS reservoir, which serves as a lifeline for Mandya, Mysuru, and Bengaluru districts, has fallen below 100 feet. This year, the water level has dropped to 99.20 feet as of now, and the reservoir has a total of 22.190 TMC feet of water stored. Although the water level has decreased, there is no immediate concern for drinking water or agricultural needs, as it is reported that there is 16.54 feet more water compared to last year.

Currently, there is a sufficient amount of water available for irrigation, with officials from the Cauvery Irrigation Corporation confirming that they will be able to provide canal water to protect standing crops. To that end, a decision was made during a meeting of the KRS Irrigation Advisory Committee to release water through four canals.

Water has already been released through three canals, and the release from the fourth canal will be halted on the night of April 29. If there is no rain afterward, it may become essential to provide water from the fourth canal. In such a case, the KRS Irrigation Advisory Committee will need to convene to make decisions regarding further water releases.

Of the 22.190 TMC feet of water stored in the KRS reservoir, 13.811 TMC feet is available for agricultural use. The remaining 8.370 TMC feet is classified as dead storage: 3.979 TMC feet is set aside for drinking water, while the remaining 4.400 TMC feet is entirely unusable dead storage.

As of the recent Monday morning report, the inflow to the reservoir was recorded at 81 cusecs, while the outflow was 3841 cusecs. In the same period last year, the inflow was 101 cusecs, and the outflow was 762 cusecs, with the water level at that time recorded at 82.66 feet.

The KRS reservoir has a maximum height of 124.80 feet and a total water storage capacity of 49.452 TMC feet. Water from the Kannanbadi dam had reached its maximum level on July 25, 2024, and was maintained at that level until December 25 (154 days).

According to the KRS Irrigation Advisory Committee’s decisions, water has been released through three canals, with the fourth canal currently supplying water. There are no immediate issues with water availability, and rainfall would further reduce demand said K. Raghuram, Supervising Engineer, Cauvery Irrigation Corporation, Mandya.