Will it be smooth sailing for Mysureans in terms of water supply this summer? It appears so, if the storage levels in the two major water sources — the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir and Kabini dam — are an indication.
Thanks to “satisfactory” storage levels in the reservoirs and if pumping stations are free from power outages, the authorities monitoring water supply promise a “crisis-free” summer until May.
Sources in KRS and Kabini dam offices told The Hindu: “We don’t predict a crisis until May, but showers in the next two months are critical to improve the situation, although the circumstances are not worrying.”
About 250 MLD (million litres per day) of water is drawn from both reservoirs to meet the drinking water needs of the city, which has a population of about 10 lakh. About 60 MLD is pumped from the Kabini and the rest from the KRS, according to Vani Vilas Water Works (VVWW), an arm of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB) which monitors water distribution on behalf of the Mysuru City Corporation.
On Tuesday, the water-level at KRS stood at 105.74 ft. as against the maximum of 124.8 ft. The inflow was 278 cusecs and the outflow 465 cusecs. The level on this day last year was almost the same — 105.31 ft. “The daily outflow from the dam is being used to meet the drinking water needs of Mysuru and Bengaluru,” sources added.
At the Kabini, the level on Tuesday was 2,274.94 ft as against the maximum of 2,284 ft. The inflow was 128 cusecs and the outflow 200 cusecs. About 750 cusecs was discharged into the canals. The level was almost the same on this day last year which was 2,274.9 ft.
VVWW Executive Engineer K.V. Srikeshava said: “The situation even during the peak of summer will not be perturbing if our pumping stations are free from power outages. A few hours of shutdown will halt pumping, resulting in non-supply of water.”
Mr. Srikeshava appealed to the people to cooperate with the authorities and conserve water in summer.
