As heavy rain lashes the catchment areas of Kabini and KRS reservoirs with the revival of monsoon, the Irrigation Department has sounded a flood warning to people residing downstream of Kabini reservoir, which is just two feet short of reaching full reservoir level (FRL).
With the water level touching 2,282 feet on Monday, as against the FRL of 2,284 feet (mean sea level), discharge of water from the reservoir will be stepped up from 5,000 cusecs to 20,000 cusecs, an official told The Hindu .
“We were receiving an inflow of 15,000 to 20,000 cusecs on Monday. We will be releasing 20,000 cusecs. So people living in villages downstream have been cautioned to move to safer places,” the official said.
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The release of water from the reservoir also follows directions issued by the Central Water Commission (CWC), which has been monitoring the water level.
This is the first time in two years that a flood warning has been issued for people living downstream of Kabini reservoir. It did not reach FRL last year.
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Meanwhile, heavy rain was reported in Kodagu district, which is the catchment area for the KRS reservoir in Mandya. Though it has been raining in Kodagu since Saturday, parts of the district, particularly Virajpet, reported heavy rainfall on Monday, forcing the authorities to declare a holiday for schools and colleges.
“The weather in Kodagu now is just like the start of monsoon season. The Meteorological Department has predicted more rain for the next four days at least. No holidays have been declared for schools and colleges on Tuesday as it is already a government holiday on account of Mahalaya Amavasya,” an official said.
On Sunday, Kodagu received 42.56 mm of rain.
Officials are anticipating good inflow into the KRS reservoir in the coming days. The water level in the reservoir stood at 101.95 feet on Monday, as against the FRL of 124.8 feet.