MYSURU: The water level in the Kabini reservoir in HD Kote taluk has dropped by nearly nine feet following the release of a large quantity of water to Tamil Nadu. Despite a low inflow, the outflow has been increased to around 14,000 cusecs, raising concerns among farmers.
The Kabini reservoir was almost full during the first week of August following good rainfall in the Kabini basin, including Wayanad district of Kerala. The increased inflow had brought the reservoir close to its full capacity.
On Friday, around 14,600 cusecs of water was released from the reservoir into the river, while the inflow had declined to 7,184 cusecs due to reduced rainfall. Farmers have expressed concern over the continued release of water despite the lower inflow, as the declining storage could affect water availability for agriculture.
The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee has directed that 12,000 cusecs of water be released daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days. Against this backdrop, a substantial quantity of water is being released from the Kabini reservoir to the neighbouring state.
The reservoir has a full reservoir level of 2,284 feet above sea level and currently stands at 2,275.56 feet. Against its total storage capacity of 19.52 TMC, the reservoir now holds around 14.57 TMC of water.