Water levels in three major reservoirs in Cauvery basin in Karnataka below 10-year average

Catchment areas of Cauvery river do not benefit from the north-east monsoon, and have to wait for the onset of south-west monsoon in June next year for levels to go up.

As Karnataka government declares drought in 195 taluks and is locking horns with the lower riparian State on release of water, the reservoir levels in dams in the Cauvery basin continue to plummet, raising concern over an impending water crisis in the weeks ahead.

According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), for the week ending September 9, water levels at the KRS, Hemavathi and Kabini reservoirs are less than the average of the last 10 years.

On September 14, the water level at the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir was 97.50 feet against the capacity of 124.80 feet. The level was 124.60 ft on the same day last year.

The actual storage in the reservoir was 20.93 tmcft against the gross capacity of 49.45 tmcft. The storage position on the same day last year was 49.20 tmcft.

With respect to the KRS, which is the major source for both irrigation and drinking purpose for millions of people, the water level for the week September 3 to 9 was 17.83 feet less than the average level over the last 10 years, according to KSNDMC.

Underlining the severity of the shortage is the fact that the level was 26.10 feet lower when compared to the corresponding period last year, as per the KSNDMC data.

On September 14, the water level at Hemavathi was 2,897.86 feet against the FRL of 2,922 feet. The reservoir level on the same day last year was 2,921.65 ft.