Dam can reach 124.80 feet in 10 days if daily inflow of 50,000 cusecs is maintained

Srirangapatna: Water level at the KRS Dam in Srirangapatna Taluk breached the 100 ft. mark and touched 104.80 ft. this morning as against its maximum level of 124.80 ft.

After a delayed South West Monsoon, the Dam has been receiving heavy inflows from its catchment areas of Kodagu where the region — especially Madikeri Taluk — is witnessing heavy to very heavy rainfall causing widespread destruction.

In fact, the heavy rain that is lashing Kodagu these days has significantly bridged the earlier deficit rainfall. If the same inflow of over 50,000 cusecs per day is maintained, the Dam will reach its full capacity of 124.80 ft in over 10 days, said Dam engineers.

The KRS Dam is a major source of water for irrigation and drinking water in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and its filling up is a welcome development, said farmers. According to available data, in May 2022, the Dam reached 100 ft. on May 11, the peak summer season and this was for the first time in 10 years that the water level stood at 100 ft during May.

However, this year in 2023, the Dam was able to reach the 100 ft. level on July 25 — a delay of 75 days — due to delayed monsoon and lack of rains. The Dam is set to fill further this year as an impressive inflow of over 51,508 cusecs (cubic foot per second) recorded this morning.

In 2023, the slow-rising water level was a matter of concern for the people living downstream as there were all indications of a drinking water crisis for Mysuru, Mandya and Bengaluru and amidst persistent demand for water release from the neighbouring Temil Nadu.

According to Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited (CNNL) Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) Abu Farooq, if the same inflow of over 50,000 cusecs per day is maintained, the Dam will reach its full capacity of 124.80 ft in over 10 days.

The Dam’s gross capacity is 49.45 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) and the present storage level is 26.811 tmcft, a remarkable rise from 16.69 tmcft on July 22. The current trend of increased inflow into the KRS will likely continue as long as Kodagu continues to receive substantial rainfall, and there is a rise in discharge from the Harangi Dam.

Meanwhile, the Kabini Dam H.D. Kote taluk is gradually nearing its full reservoir level of 2,284 feet. This morning’s level was recorded at 2,281.99 ft and this increase is a result of heavy inflow, which is a consequence of substantial rainfall in the catchment area of the river in Wayanad, Kerala. As of Wednesday, the rate of inflow into the reservoir reached 23,630 cusecs.

In response to the rising water levels, the authorities have taken action by increasing the outflow from the Dam. The outflow rate has been raised to 20,000 cusecs. However, due to this increased outflow, there is a possibility that the Bidarahalli Bridge could be partially submerged.

Date  – 2023	KRS Dam level
April 1	96.55
April 15	93.54
May 1	86.64
May 15	86.00
May 31	79.50
June 10	82.80
June 15	82.32
June 30	78.02
July 9	84.50
July 14	88.78
July 18	89.72
July 21	90.42
July 23	91.82
July 25	100
July 26	104