Water level at KRS dips below 80-foot mark
MYSURU: Late monsoon showers in 2017 resulted in the water level at the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir cross the 111-feet mark, against a capacity storage of 124.8ft in October. On Saturday, the water level at the dam, which serves as the lifeline for several cities in the state including Bengaluru and Mysuru, fell below the 80-feet mark, which has set alarm bells ringing among the authorities concerned. Authorities at the reservoir said that 6.29tmcft of water was available in the reservoir for drinking and agricultural purposes. The corresponding water level at KRS in 2017 was 75.7feet, while 4.62tmcft water was available. “If water is managed efficiently, residents of Mysuru, mandya, Ramanagara and Bengaluru may not face a drinking water crisis this summer,” officials said.
Data compiled by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), inflow to KRS reservoir has reduced to 151 cusecs on Saturday. The figures for the other reservoirs in the Cauvery basin were not too encouraging either – Hemavati (eight cusecs), Harangi (92 cusecs) and Kabini (95 cusecs). However, the water level at all the reservoirs are higher than the ones recorded at the same time in 2017.
KSNDMC director Srinivas Reddy told TOI, “Compared to the previous two to three years, the storage levels of KRS and other reservoirs is better. We need 2.5tmc of water to fulfill the drinking water requirements of 43 towns and 625 villages for the summer. The operational loss s around 1.5tmc, and we cannot use dead storage since that would jeopardise the survival of aquatic life. But, the amount of water is enough to meet drinking water needs till the end of June if water is used wisely.”
However, Reddy voiced doubts over the possibility of the water stored in the reservoirs meeting the demands of the farming community in the Old Mysuru region. “There is growing demand for release of water for agricultural activities, but the amount of water is not sufficient to meet those requirements,” Reddy added.
Calling on people in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and surrounding districts to preserve water, Reddy added, “There may not be any significant improvement in the inflow of water to the dams till the end of June.”
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysuru/water-level-at-krs-dips-below-80-foot-mark/articleshow/63672169.cms
MYSURU: Late monsoon showers in 2017 resulted in the water level at the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir cross the 111-feet mark, against a capacity storage of 124.8ft in October. On Saturday, the water level at the dam, which serves as the lifeline for several cities in the state including Bengaluru and Mysuru, fell below the 80-feet mark, which has set alarm bells ringing among the authorities concerned. Authorities at the reservoir said that 6.29tmcft of water was available in the reservoir for drinking and agricultural purposes. The corresponding water level at KRS in 2017 was 75.7feet, while 4.62tmcft water was available. “If water is managed efficiently, residents of Mysuru, mandya, Ramanagara and Bengaluru may not face a drinking water crisis this summer,” officials said.
Data compiled by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), inflow to KRS reservoir has reduced to 151 cusecs on Saturday. The figures for the other reservoirs in the Cauvery basin were not too encouraging either – Hemavati (eight cusecs), Harangi (92 cusecs) and Kabini (95 cusecs). However, the water level at all the reservoirs are higher than the ones recorded at the same time in 2017.
KSNDMC director Srinivas Reddy told TOI, “Compared to the previous two to three years, the storage levels of KRS and other reservoirs is better. We need 2.5tmc of water to fulfill the drinking water requirements of 43 towns and 625 villages for the summer. The operational loss s around 1.5tmc, and we cannot use dead storage since that would jeopardise the survival of aquatic life. But, the amount of water is enough to meet drinking water needs till the end of June if water is used wisely.”
However, Reddy voiced doubts over the possibility of the water stored in the reservoirs meeting the demands of the farming community in the Old Mysuru region. “There is growing demand for release of water for agricultural activities, but the amount of water is not sufficient to meet those requirements,” Reddy added.
Calling on people in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and surrounding districts to preserve water, Reddy added, “There may not be any significant improvement in the inflow of water to the dams till the end of June.”
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysuru/water-level-at-krs-dips-below-80-foot-mark/articleshow/63672169.cms
