After 11 years, Cauvery witnesses record flow during NE monsoon

Realisation, as measured at Biligundlu, is 118.62 tmc ft since Oct. 1

The water level in the Mettur dam remained at the full level of 120 ft, with the storage at 93.47 tmc ft, and 22,830 cusecs was being discharged into the river.

After a gap of 11 years, bountiful flow is being witnessed in the Cauvery river in a sustained manner during the Northeast monsoon (October-December).

As on date, the realisation of Cauvery water, as measured at Biligundlu, was 118.62 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) since October 1. It was during the 2010 monsoon that the realisation crossed the three-digit figure, which was 107 tmc ft.

A perusal of the data of flow measured at Biligundlu, located on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, since 1974-75 reveals that the cumulative realisation during the monsoon has exceeded the three-digit figure on 10 occasions including the current year. [The year 1974-75 has been taken into account as it was in 1974 that the 1924 inter-State agreement on the sharing of the Cauvery river water came for review].

Till now, the highest quantity during the three-month-period was 167 tmc ft in 2005 followed by 152 tmc ft in 2000 and 137 tmc ft in 1977.

The current month’s realisation of the Cauvery water by Tamil Nadu — 70.34 tmc ft — has become the highest quantum for November in the last 47 years. The previous best was 61.18 tmc ft in 2010. Last month, the State received 48.28 tmc ft.

As on Monday (November 29), the total realisation for the current year (since June 1) stood at 210.08 tmc ft, an excess of 53.4 tmc ft for the elapsed period of the year. The Mettur reservoir, about 70 km downstream of Biligundlu, remained at the full level of 120 ft with the storage being 93.47 tmc ft. About 22,830 cubic feet per second (cusecs) was being discharged through the river while the inflow was 21,725 cusecs.