The Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Ltd (CNNL) has issued a flood alert and warned people living in the downstream of the Kabini reservoir at H.D Kote (Mysuru district) to move to safer locations.
The alert, issued on Tuesday, said that the outflow from the reservoir would be stepped up to nearly 20,000 cusecs by evening as they anticipate an increase in the inflow during the next 24 hours.
This is due to heavy rains in the upstream of the dam, and the catchment area of the Kabini mainly in the Wayanad region of Kerala. Hence people living on both sides of the river bank have been asked to ensure their safety by relocating to safer places along with their belongings including domestic animals.
However, the reservoir is yet to attain its full level this year and the water level on Tuesday at 8.30 a.m. was 2279.54 ft. against the full reservoir level (FRL) of 2284 ft. The rate of inflow was 16,000 cusecs and senior engineers at the dam site said they would regulate the outflow to maintain safety levels.
It is customary to maintain a buffer of 2 ft. as a safety measure during the rainy season and open the crest gates before the dam attains its FRL.
But the CNNL has decided not to wait till then and to open the crest gates as there could be a surge in the inflow given the heavy rains in the catchment area.
Last year the authorities were forced to open all the crest gates due to a sudden surge in the inflow and the discharge peaked to reach 1,20,000 cusecs (on August 10, 2019) which was the highest in the history of the dam constructed in the early 1970s. This resulted in flash floods in the downstream area which the authorities want to prevent and hence water is being released to match the inflow.
