Colourful lights attract visitors to KRS Dam

• Daily illumination from 6.55 pm to 8 pm; weekends and holidays till 9 pm
• Historic British-era Wellesley Bridge closed for traffic, pedestrians

Mysore/Mysuru: Hundreds of tourists braving intermittent rains and chill are thronging the South Gate of the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam in Mandya District to view the spectacular release of water from the crest gates.

 To make the visuals memorable, the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited (CNNL) that manages the Dam is illuminating the water release with bright and colourful LED lights. People, however, are not allowed to walk through the North Gate of the Dam that leads to its top as a precautionary measure.

 The Dam in Srirangapatna taluk is expected to attain its full reservoir level (FRL) of 124.80 feet in the due course. As per a press release from CNNL, anywhere between 25,000 to 75,000 cusecs of water is being released from the Dam and today morning, over 50,000 cusecs was released. There is an inflow of over 50,000 cusecs as it is relentlessly raining in Kodagu and the CNNL has scheduled the water release, keeping in mind the safety of the Dam, inflow and rainfall pattern.

 The CNNL had first experimented with the LED lights during water release in October 2018 and that proved a great hit as thousands of tourists flocked to the Dam, increasing revenue. Over 500 LED bulbs that were installed then were not removed and they continue to project a melange of colours now.

The LED lights have been used to light up the systematically and symmetrically designed area from where the water is released.

The lights are projected on the water and the gushing waters look like rivers of red, green, violet, magenta and orange, amidst cheering from the crowd. This year, the Dam is inching toward its maximum capacity in July itself and the lights will be a regular feature till the outflow stops, said CNNL authorities. On weekdays, the illumination will be from 6.55 pm to 8 pm and during weekends and holidays, it will be from 6.55 pm to 9 pm.

 As the outflow from the KRS will be stepped up to 75,000 cusecs, people living downstream of the Dam along the riverbanks have been asked to relocate to safer places. Traffic and movement of people have been banned on the historic British-era Wellesley Bridge in Srirangapatna.

 Barricades have been laid on both sides of the bridge and this was done to ensure the safety of the historical bridge and the public, according to Srirangapatna Town Municipal Council.

The Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary near Srirangapatna continues to be open to tourists but the boating facility has been suspended due to a rise in the water levels. Tourists who come to see the Sanctuary are being informed at the gates about the closure. Visitors can instead walk through the Sanctuary and spend time at the pergolas, travel in the battery-operated vehicles and get more information from the counters.