With heavy rain continuing across the State, some of the major dams have reached their full-reservoir level (FRL) and a flood-like situation prevails in the Krishna basin.
Crest gates of the Hemavati reservoir at Gorur in Hassan taluk were opened on Thursday after water-level reached the FRL. Water-level had reached the FRL 23 times since 1983, when the reservoir was inaugurated. However, it had happened only after August.
Water-level at 6 a.m. was 2,919.75 ft against the maximum of 2,922 ft. The inflow was at the rate of 23,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) on Wednesday.
“We released water through crest gates as a precautionary measure,” Krishne Gowda, Chief Engineer, said. Water will be released in the following days too.
The total storage of water in the reservoir as on Thursday morning was 34.938 tmcft against the capacity of 37.103 tmc ft. Flood warning has already been issued for those living close to the banks of the river.
Flood-like situation
A flood-like situation is imminent along the Krishna in the northern parts of Belgaum district following heavy inflow into the river from the dams in the upper reaches of Maharashtra on Thursday.
With Krishna, Vedganga, Dudhganga and Malaprabha swelling up, 14 bridges and roads have been submerged, including the Kudachi and Chinchali bridges in Raibag taluk. Thirty-two houses collapsed in the last 24 hours in the district, of which 25 were in Hukkeri, five in Belgaum taluk and one each in Khanapur and Gokak taluks. The loss has been estimated to be around Rs. 3.06 lakh. Trees were uprooted in Belgaum, affecting the vehicular movement in the city.
Even though the district administration maintained that there was no immediate threat of floods, precautionary measures have been taken and officials are monitoring the water-level.
Official sources said water was being released to the Krishna following heavy rain in the catchment areas of the river in Koyana, Navza, Mahabaleshwar, Varna, Kolhapur and Sangli in Maharashtra. Water was released at the rate of 1,84,893 cusecs from the Rajapur barrage on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border since Thursday morning, while the rate of outflow from the Koyna dam was at 62,878 cusecs.
The inflow and outflow from the Hipparagi barrage was at the rate of 1,73,100 cusecs. The inflow into the Alamatti dam was at the rate of 1,54,226 cusecs, while the outflow was 1,45,685 cusecs. Water-level at the dam on Thursday morning was 518.30 metres as against the maximum of 519.6 metres.
The Tungabhadra continued to be in spate on Thursday, for the fourth day in succession, following heavy discharge of water from the Tungabhadra dam at Hospet.
The inflow into the reservoir was at the rate of around 90,000 cusecs, while the outflow was at the rate of around 96,000 cusecs.
Monuments at Hampi on the bank of the river are flooded and the Purandara mantap completely submerged.
The rising water-level is threatening to cut off the link between Hospet-Kampli and Gangavathi in Koppal district and other parts of the Hyderabad-Karnatak region. The link will get cut off if the discharge from the reservoir exceeds one lakh cusecs. People residing on the banks of the river have been instructed to shift to safer places.
