Mysore/Mysuru: Following the heavy discharge of water from the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam, which has now touched 1.20 lakh cusecs, tourist entry to the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary near Palahalli in Srirangapatna Taluk has been banned. The popular sanctuary attracts lakhs of visitors every year. A notice announcing the closure has been put up at the entrance. The decision follows a letter from Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd. (CNNL) this morning, issuing a flood alert downstream.

Ranganathittu, being located downstream of the KRS Dam, usually suspends boating activities whenever the discharge crosses 50,000 cusecs.

With the outflow surging past 1.20 lakh cusecs, water has now entered both the park and tourist facility areas, forcing the authorities to shut down the sanctuary for public safety.