Mysuru: The water released from the KRS and Kabini reservoirs eventually reaches Tamil Nadu’s Mettur Dam. However, with both reservoirs witnessing poor inflows due to below-normal rainfall, storage at Mettur has also declined significantly. 

Against its full reservoir level of 120 ft, Mettur was holding only 79.56 ft of water today. The drop has raised concerns in Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery delta region, which depends heavily on Cauvery waters for irrigation across nearly 44,000 sq. km of agricultural land. 

Farmers in these fertile districts are increasingly worried as inflows from Karnataka continue to weaken. While KRS depends largely on rainfall in Kodagu, the Kabini reservoir draws its strength from heavy monsoon showers in Kerala’s Wayanad district. Deficient rainfall in both catchments has affected storage levels in the two reservoirs, with a cascading impact downstream. 

Traditionally, among Kerala’s wettest regions, Wayanad receives an annual rainfall of about 2,300 mm to 2,500 mm, with some years recording over 4,000 mm. However, this year’s monsoon has been markedly weak. According to data from the Kerala Meteorological Department, Wayanad district has received only 66.8 mm of rainfall since the onset of the monsoon, resulting in poor inflows into Kabini and a steady decline in its water level.