MYSURU: With incessant rain lashing the old Mysuru region and reservoirs and tanks almost full in the Cauvery catchment areas, excess water has flowed to Tamil Nadu this time, said to be the highest in the past 48 years. This is considered to be the highest discharge of water from Karnataka after the reorganisation of states. Though Karnataka has to release 101 tmc ft of water to Tamil Nadu as per the Cauvery Tribunal’s verdict, the former has discharged 452.5 tmc ft of water between June and September this year.
According to sources, the Biligundalu gauging station recorded a discharge of 16.46 tmc ft in June, 106.93 tmc ft in July, 223.57 tmc ft in August, and 105.52 tmc ft in September. There is an increased inflow into the Mettur reservoir owing to heavy rain in Karnataka even in October.
Irrigation officials in Tamil Nadu have been releasing water from the Mettur reservoir on a regular basis as it is almost full now. Pleading anonymity, the officials confirmed that Tamil Nadu has received water more than the quantum allotted to it in the past four years.
Karnataka has released an excess of 228 tmc ft of water during 2018-2019, 97 tmc ft more in 2019-2020, 34 tmc ft in 2020-2021, 103 tmc ft in 2021-2022 and 275 tmc ft in excess till September. Karnataka has plans to construct a balancing reservoir at Mekedatu to store 67 tmc ft of water. Mettur has a capacity to store 93.47 tmc ft of water.