Even as water is being discharged at the rate of 2,000 cusecs a day to Tamil Nadu, the level in the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) plummeted to 78.7 ft on Thursday, against the maximum of 124.8 ft. The dead storage level is 74 ft. The water level on October 27 last year was 105.29 ft.
There was 82.13 ft. of water when the Irrigation Department began to act upon the Supreme Court’s direction on October 24. According to Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd. (CNNL), the level dipped to 80.7 ft. on Wednesday, then 79.54 ft. at 6 a.m. on Thursday, and further plunged to 78.7 ft. by evening.
The flow into the reservoir was at the rate of just 274 cusecs, while the outflow was at 6,133 cusecs on Thursday morning. Of the outflow, around 2,000 cusecs went into canals to irrigate standing crops and also to meet the drinking water requirements of Bengaluru, Mysuru and other Cauvery-dependent areas, said CNNL officials.
“We have to follow the court order. The State had not discharged water till October 24. So we have been compensating the apex court’s order by discharging water at 4,000 cusecs a day,” a senior CNNL official said.
The live storage in the reservoir was 2.206 tmcft at 6 a.m. on Thursday, while the gross storage capacity was 10.585 tmcft.
The maximum live storage of KRS is 45.051 tmcft and the full gross storage capacity is 49.452 tmcft.
Likley to worsen
The water-level is likely to reach 74 ft. by October 30 if the same quantum of water is released from the reservoir, the official added.
Water level was
78.7 ft on Thursday, against the maximum of 124.8 ft; storage 2.206 tmcft
