Plummeting water-level in the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) has affected operations at the Sir K. Seshadri Iyer Power Station at Shivanasamudra in Mandya district.
The generation capacity of the first hydroelectric power station in Asia, established in 1902, is 42 MW. However, power generation at the station has come down owing to acute shortage of water in the Cauvery.
About 8.6 MW of power was generated in the station in February, 17.02 MW in March, 21.06 MW in April, 25 MW in May, and 20.02 MW in the first week of July.
The plant can reach the maximum capacity only when it gets water at 1,470 cubic feet per second (cusecs), R.K. Suresh, Superintending Engineer of the plant, told The Hindu .
Six of the 10 generating units at the plant were shut down recently. While five units were shut down because the plant was not getting sufficient water, another unit was under maintenance, a senior officer said.
On Friday, two units were shut down, and on Saturday five were shut down owing to lack of sufficient water.
The rate of outflow from the KRS has been varying between 1,000 cusecs and 350 cusecs for the last two months.
According to the officer, power generation has been in the range of 1.62 million units (MU) to 5.8 MUin the first week on July. The inflow into the reservoir had come down owing to lack of rain in the catchment areas of the Cauvery.
On Friday, the water-level in the KRS was 82.42 ft and the inflow rate was at 1,638 cusecs. The full reservoir level is 124.8 ft.
