With the water levels dwindling alarmingly in the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir, threatening water supply to Bangalore and other parts of Karnataka, hopes are pinned on the monsoon bringing rain to the Cauvery catchment.
Uneventful fortnight
While most parts of Karnataka — 24 out of 30 districts to be precise — have recorded ‘excessive’ rainfall from the beginning of the monsoon on June 1, Kodagu has received ‘normal rain’, with just a few days of heavy rainfall this fortnight.
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“Kodagu has only seen two or three days of heavy rainfall [over 8 cm] since the monsoon onset,” said B. Puttanna, director of the Met centre here. “This is not enough to compensate for the depleted reserves in KRS.”
The pre-monsoon season was not particularly eventful for Kodagu either. The three pre-monsoon months, March to May, saw below normal rainfall in the district.
“Pre-monsoon rain this year in Kodagu was 19 per cent less than normal. In fact, if it had been lower by one per cent more, it would have been categorised as deficit rainfall for the season,” Mr. Puttanna added.
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Low pressure
However, there might be some hope yet for an augmenting of the Cauvery’s catchment.
A low pressure over the Bay of Bengal, off the Orissa coast, is speeding up winds.
Rain in 3 days
“Strong winds are key to determining monsoon rain, and India’s western coast, including coastal and Malnad Karnataka, can expect rainfall in the next three or four days,” the Met director said.
Wait for July
However, July is when Karnataka, and most of India, begin to truly benefit from the monsoon showers, Mr. Puttanna added.