MYSURU: In the wake of the depletion of water in the river and at the Thorekadanahalli pumping station, irrigation officials have released water from Krishnaraja Sagar Reservoir (KRS) so that the BWSSB can pump the water to the maximum capacity.
As Bengaluru city is reeling under acute water shortage with several borwells drying up, the pressure is on the BWSSB to meet the demand of 1.3 crore residents of the city. With reports of farmers drawing water for their drinking needs, cattle and festivals, the flow had reduced in the river for the last couple of days.
BWSSB authorities monitoring the pumping station have requested an increase in discharge from the reservoir so that the pumping does not suffer. Following the request, the authorities have released water into the reservoir and have kept vigil across the river to ensure that the water is not drawn by the farmers.
Sources said irrigation officials have released 3,000 cusecs of water from four crest gates of the dam on Saturday. They are likely to release another 2,000 cusecs to rush the water in the river and Thorekadanahalli located downstream near Malavalli. The city receives around 1,450 million litres per day (MLD) of water but it faces a shortfall of 1,680 MLD every day.
According to officials, the water level at the KRS is pegged at 89.24 ft as against the maximum capacity of 124.8 ft. Currently, with 15.49 ft of water, it has 7.11 thousand million cubic feet (tmc) of water. KRS chief engineer (South) Venkatesh said they have released water from KRS to increase the pressure in the river so that it would not affect the pumping of water.