Cauvery inflow rises at Hogenakkal as Karnataka releases 4.95 TMC to Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: The inflow of water into the River Cauvery at Hogenakkal has increased to 12,000 cusecs on Saturday, August 22, following continuous water releases from Karnataka's Kabini and Krishnarajasagar (KRS) dams, according to a Daily Thanthi report. In the last nine days alone, around 4.95 TMC of water has been released from the Kabini Dam to Tamil Nadu.

Water release from KRS and Kabini dams

The KRS Dam, situated across the River Cauvery near Kannambadi in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district, had a water level of 108.95 feet as of 8 pm on Friday. The dam has a maximum capacity of 124.80 feet.

Water was flowing into the KRS Dam at 1,551 cusecs, while 2,000 cusecs was being released from the dam into the River Cauvery.

Meanwhile, the Kabini Dam, located across the Kapila River near Beechanahalli village in H D Kote taluk of Mysuru district, has also been releasing water to Tamil Nadu.

As of 8 am on Friday, the water level in the Kabini Dam stood at 2,275.56 feet against its maximum elevation capacity of 2,284 feet. The water level was 2,282 feet on August 13.

Following an order from the Cauvery Water Management Authority to release water to Tamil Nadu, water was continuously released from the Kabini Dam for nine days, from August 13 to Friday. During this period, around 4.95 TMC of water was released into the River Cauvery for Tamil Nadu from the dam.

Kabini water level drops by 7 feet

The continuous release has resulted in the water level in the Kabini Dam falling by around 7 feet over the last nine days. The dam has a total storage capacity of 19.52 TMC and held around 14.57 TMC of water as of Friday.

At 8 am on Friday, the inflow into the Kabini Dam stood at 7,184 cusecs, while 12,940 cusecs was being released into the River Cauvery.

Together, the KRS and Kabini dams were releasing a total of 14,940 cusecs of water into the River Cauvery for Tamil Nadu.

Hogenakkal inflow reaches 12,000 cusecs

Meanwhile, officials from the Central Water Commission are closely monitoring the water flow in the River Cauvery at Biligundlu, located along the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border.

The increased inflow has also prompted the Dharmapuri district administration to continue the ban on coracle operations at Hogenakkal as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of tourists.

The water inflow at Hogenakkal was recorded at 10,000 cusecs at 6 am on Saturday. The inflow subsequently increased to 12,000 cusecs, according to the report.

With the River Cauvery witnessing increased inflow, authorities continue to monitor the situation at Hogenakkal and other points along the river, while restrictions on coracle operations remain in place for the safety of visitors.