The quantity of Cauvery water being released to Tamil Nadu from Karnataka's Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs has been sharply reduced to 5,200 cubic feet per second (cusecs) following a decline in rainfall and inflows across the upper catchment areas.
The combined discharge stood at 11,983 cusecs the previous day. It has now fallen by 6,783 cusecs, marking a reduction of nearly 57 per cent within a day.
The sharp decline is significant for Tamil Nadu, which closely monitors water releases from Karnataka's Cauvery basin reservoirs. The downstream flow contributes to storage at the Mettur Dam and supports irrigation in the Cauvery delta, where farmers depend on timely water supplies for standing crops and seasonal cultivation.
Of the total discharge being released towards Tamil Nadu, 4,800 cusecs are being released from the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir, commonly known as KRS, while the remaining 1,200 cusecs are being discharged from the Kabini reservoir.
KRS is located at Srirangapatna in Karnataka's Mandya district, with its catchment area extending into Kodagu district and parts of Wayanad in Kerala.
Rainfall has stopped in Kodagu, resulting in a steady decline in inflows into the reservoir. By Monday morning, the water level at KRS stood at 106.84 feet against its full reservoir level of 124.80 feet. The inflow was recorded at 2,511 cusecs, while the outflow remained higher at 4,800 cusecs.
With the outflow exceeding inflow, the reservoir's stored water continued to decline.
A similar situation was reported at the Kabini reservoir in Mysuru district. Its water level stood at 2,268.50 feet above sea level, compared with its full reservoir level of 2,284 feet.
The inflow into Kabini was recorded at 2,514 cusecs, while 1,200 cusecs were being released downstream. Together, the KRS and Kabini releases accounted for the 5,200 cusecs flowing towards Tamil Nadu.
Reservoir discharges are generally regulated after taking into account rainfall, inflows, available storage and downstream water requirements.
With rainfall weakening across the upper Cauvery catchment areas, authorities are expected to closely monitor reservoir levels before making any further changes to the discharge.
The reduction has once again drawn attention to water availability for Tamil Nadu's Cauvery delta. Any fresh spell of rainfall in Kodagu and Wayanad could improve inflows into KRS, Kabini and other reservoirs in the Cauvery basin.
