Provides sensor-based online real-time data on storage level to officials in New Delhi

Madikeri/Mysuru: Telemetric Water Gauge has been installed at Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam in Mandya district and also at Harangi Dam in Kodagu for sensor-based real-time data on the storage level, inflow and outflow of the reservoirs. 

The installation comes weeks after an Internal Committee of Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) visited the two Dams in the first week of June this year. The team, after studying the water levels and reporting mechanisms, had decided to set up Online Monitoring System for all the reservoirs in Cauvery Basin through Telemetry-based Real-time Data Acquisition and Transmission.

The facility transmits data to CWMA Office in New Delhi and the authorities who decide on the water release as mandated by Supreme Court need not wait for the data from the Dams. They can easily access the data through the Telemetry Transmission system.

No room for errors: All these years, the authority sitting in New Delhi had to obtain data from each reservoir every day to determine the storage levels, inflow and outflow. This system was prone to errors as the people manning the Dams take physical measurements. Now with the new system, errors are eliminated and accurate real-time data can be accessed, making the decision-making process easy and accurate. 

The Union Government has constituted the CWMA and and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) as directed by the Supreme Court and an Internal Committee comprising Irrigation experts from the Cauvery Basin States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry has been formed. 

Real-time data acquisition 

During their visit, the CWMA team discussed real-time data acquisition and transmission, installation of water-level sensors, flow rate sensors at all canals / outlets taking off from all the eight Reservoirs coming under Cauvery Basin and technical issues such as capacity enhancement of Dams, safety of Dams, prevention of leakages, modernisation of canals for prevention of seepage, etc.

The new advanced telemetry system has been installed based on the directions from CWRC. Sources said that such a system has been installed at Reservoirs including Hemavathy, Harangi, Kabini and KRS in Karnataka and in Banasura Dam at Kerala and Lower Bhavani, Amaravathi and Mettur dams in Tamil Nadu. 

On mobiles

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Vasudev, Assistant Executive Engineer of Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited (CNNL) that manages KRS and Harangi, said that the Telemetric Water Gauge gives live data to CWMA and CWRC authorities and they can access the data at any given point of time on their mobile phones. 

The system transmits live data from the Dams and an exclusive cell has been set up at CWMA Office in New Delhi to receive the data and send them real-time through mobile phones. “With this system, now no one can bluff the CWMA by constantly claiming more water, hiding the real storage level data at the Dams. Even the CNNL authorities can access the data,” he said.  

The data will measure minute details about number of canals and their location, water levels inside the canals, their turbulence, number of sluice gates, size of gates and the amount of water discharged from the crest gates. It also records spill- over water.