With a weak monsoon and dry spell running for nearly two months in the district, the Almatti Dam, one of biggest reservoirs of north Karnataka, is showing no signs of reaching its full storage capacity this year.
The dam, which normally gets filled in August, is gradually reaching its minimum storage level.
The failure of the monsoon in the Western Ghats has hit the dam. When the ghats receive abundant rain, the heavy flow of water reaches the reservoir after Maharashtra discharges excess water from the Koyna Dam.
According to sources at the Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Limited (KBJNL), when the dam fills up to its brim in the last week of July or in the beginning of August, it prompts officials to start discharging at least 1 lakh cusecs of water every day through the crest gates. “After several years, we are again facing this acute shortage that we are unable to discharge the water even in the second week of August,” the officials said. They said that since 2002, the dam had been receiving water to fill up the dam to its full capacity. Last year, though the inflow began late, yet the huge quantity of water filled the dam quickly. Though the water level is depleting rapidly, yet, 657 cusecs of water is being released through canals to save crops in catchments area. Meanwhile, officials said that on Wednesday, of the total 123 tmc capacity, the dam had only 72 tmc water left. The amount of 17.60 tmc is dead storage leaving only 55 tmc for irrigation. The officials said that given the limited availability of water, efforts have been made to prevent any wastage of water for its optimum utilisation.
FOR INFOGRAPHICS.
YEAR WATER LEVEL INFLOW OUTFLOW
(In meters) ( In cusecs)
2002 516.10 46,073 ---NIL----
2003 518.6025,371 16,471
2004529.191,97,919 1,92,622
2005515.744,41,182 4,45,735
2006516.932,75,823 2,96,253
2007518.241,69,422 2,12,309
2008518.70 61,018 25,474
2009 519.34 14,672 14,202
2010519.13 57,025 41,331
2011518.80 88,667 90,130
2012 518.95 95,995 30,065
2013 519.50 93,693 64,161
2014 518.95 1,23,157 2,400
