Scorching heat, low storage levels at Dams heighten concerns; Officials ready with contingency plans 

Mysore/Mysuru: With Mysuru urban and rural areas staring at a possible drinking water crisis, officials from the District Administration and the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) are actively formulating strategies to address the situation.

Notwithstanding the depleting levels at Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini Reservoirs, authorities from the Vani Vilas Water Works (VVWW), the MCC’s water supply division, remain optimistic about their ability to mitigate the crisis until the end of May.

This morning’s water level at KRS Dam stood at 89.64 ft. as against the maximum level of 124.80 ft. In thousand million cubic feet (tmcft), the Dam’s level stands at 15.725 tmcft while the maximum level is 49.452 tmcft. The live capacity is 7.346 tmcft while the remaining water is dead storage level. 

Also, the KRS Dam has to supply water to Bengaluru that has a population of over 1.4 crore. Bengaluru is already facing a water crisis and the State Government has directed the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to take over irrigation and commercial borewells to supply water to parched areas.

The level at Kabini Dam this morning stood at 2,269.34 ft.  as against a maximum level of 2,284 ft. This reservoir has a maximum storage level of 19.52 tmcft while today’s level stands at 11.36 tmcft. 

Mar. 6 temperature 35 degrees Celsius

According to data from the Agro-Meteorological Field Unit (AMFU) of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) at the Organic Farming Research Station in Naganahalli near Mysuru, the district experienced temperatures of 34.9 degrees Celsius on Mar. 3, 34.2 degrees Celsius on Mar. 4 and 34.9 degrees Celsius on Mar. 5.

 Today’s temperature has slightly risen, reaching 35 degrees Celsius. However, temperatures are expected to decrease slightly to 34 degrees Celsius on Mar. 7 and Mar. 8, further dropping to 33 degrees Celsius on Mar. 9 and 32 degrees Celsius on Mar. 10.

Requisition for 40 water tankers to supply water to 65 Wards

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Ashwin Kumar, Executive Engineer of Vani Vilas Water Works (VVWW), revealed that currently, nine water tankers are deployed to provide water to areas experiencing scarcity and those not connected to water pipelines. “We are requesting an additional 40 tankers to ensure water supply to all 65 wards in case of a crisis,” he stated.

He expressed confidence that they could stave off the water crisis till the end of May. The available water could last till then after which the inflow to the reservoirs is expected to rise due to the onset of South West monsoon in June.

“As a precautionary measure, we have repaired 25 defunct borewells of the 850 borewells in the city limits. In addition, private borewells will be taken on rent to supply water,” he added.