DHARMAPURI: Water released from the Kabini dam in Karnataka following heavy rainfall reached Tamil Nadu at Biligundulu near Hogenakkal in the early hours of Tuesday.
The inflow into Hogenakkal began rising steadily, with the water level reaching around 8,000 cusecs by 8 am. Officials from the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) expect the inflow to increase further and cross 20,000 cusecs soon.
The Karnataka government had announced on Saturday that more than 25,000 cusecs of water had been released from the Kabini dam after heavy rainfall in the Cauvery catchment areas of Kerala and Karnataka.
TWAD officials said they had not received any official communication from the Karnataka government but had learnt through reports that the release from Kabini began with about 5,000 cusecs before gradually increasing as the Kabini and Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) reservoirs neared full capacity.
The released water reached Biligundulu, near the Tamil Nadu border, at around 4 am on Tuesday, following which the inflow continued to rise. Officials said they would closely monitor the situation.
They added that the Cauvery had remained dry for an extended period, slowing the movement of water through the river. The river had received only 100 to 500 cusecs in recent months, and the released water took longer than expected to reach Hogenakkal due to the dry riverbed.
Officials had initially anticipated the water to arrive by Sunday afternoon but said the parched conditions delayed its flow. They now expect the inflow into Tamil Nadu to rise to around 20,000 cusecs.