With good rain, major dams in K’taka nearing max level

Mysuru: Even as water levels in all major dams of the South Karnataka region continue to rise following heavy rainfall, Kabini dam is on the cusp of reaching its maximum level of 2,284 ft. The water level in the dam has reached 2,281 ft on Thursday following which the authorities have started to release some amount of water as a precautionary measure given that its catchment area is receiving good rainfall.
KRS dam water level touched 99.70 feet on Thursday 8 pm. The maximum level of the dam is 124.80 ft. The inflow was 8,669 cusecs .
According to the data, the water storage at KRS Dam touched 22.27 TMC on Thursday. Similarly, Kabini Dam water storage touched 17.25 TMC which was 4.93 TMC on this day during the corresponding period last year. Two other major reservoirs in the Cauvery basin-- Hemavati (15.83 tmc) and Harangi (4.58 TMC)—have also recorded nearly double the storage from the last year.
Water will be released into canals : Minister
Following good inflow into KRS Dam, water will be released into canals for agriculture from July 8. District minister N Cheluvarayaswamy said a meeting of the Dam Advisory Committee will be organised in Bengaluru on July 6 and water will be released from July 8.
In 2023, water was not released into the canals due to poor inflow to the dam.
Meanwhile, Shivamogga received heavy rain in the last 24 hours. Tunga river has swelled in the city. Shivamogga received heavy showers in the last 24 hours. The Tunga river has swelled in the city and the historic Tunga Mantapa near Bekkina Kalamutta is expected to be submerged on Friday indicating that the water in the river is flowing above the danger mark.
A van got stuck at the fourth hairpin curve in Agumbe Ghat disrupting the traffic flow for three hours, while a landslide on NH-766c at Sampagodu in Hosanagara village on Wednesday evening affected vehicular traffic. Local administration with the help of the earth mover machine cleared it late at night.
Yakshagana artiste Nandan Shetty and his mother Bharati had a narrow escape when their house collapsed at Honentalu village in Thirthahalli. Ferry services between Kolluru and Hasirumakki on Sharavathi backwater have restarted its operation a month after they were stopped following low water level. The Sigandur ferries are also carrying travellers’ vehicles. Linganamakki dam built across Sharavathi river is receiving a massive 60,000 cusecs of water.
Meanwhile, in Chikkamagaluru district normal life was disrupted by heavy rainfall. However, no property damage have been reported. Kerekatte in Sringeri taluk received the highest of 234.8 mm rainfall till Thursday morning from Wednesday. The district average for July 4 is 17.9 mm but this time the district received 48.2 mm, as per the data. Although the rain gave a break from Thursday morning, it commenced again at 3pm.
The major rivers and streams were flowing to their full capacity. Owing to heavy rainfall, the inflow to Bhadra Dam has increased to 4,908 cusecs and the outflow is 348 cusecs.