The State’s obligation to comply with the final award of the Cauvery River Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) has brought down the spirit of tourists at the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary near Srirangapatna of the district, with the Forest Department suspending the boating service here.
Karnataka has been discharging water at the rate of over 10,000 cusecs from the upstream Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir to the Tamil Nadu for the last a week. The outflow rate has been increased at the rate of 11,117 cusecs. Following the heavy flow in the Cauvery river, the Forest Department, which has been maintaining the sanctuary, has temporarily suspended the boating service.
The department is running manually-operated boats as the mechanical boats are banned as they can disturb the activities of migratory birds at the sanctuary. Hence, it is risky to operate the boats as the flow of water is high, M. Puttamade Gowda, Deputy Range Forest Officer (Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary), said.
Speaking to The Hindu on Friday, the officer added, “We have cancelled the service keeping in mind the safety of tourists. We have also put the board on the cancellation of boating services. However, the bird sanctuary is open to the public.”
The boating service will resume once the outflow rate from the reservoir declines.
The department has 10 boats with a capacity to carry 12 persons each at the sanctuary, to provide an exciting experience of watching birds from close quarters at the islets of the sanctuary.
