After heavy rainfall, Cauvery water surges into Tamil Nadu; Mettur Dam inflow set to rise
Coimbatore, Aug 4
The flow in the Cauvery River at Biligundlu, the entry point of the river into Tamil Nadu, surged sharply to 18,000 cusecs on Tuesday morning following increased discharge from reservoirs in Karnataka amid heavy rainfall in the catchment areas.
The sudden rise in inflow is expected to boost the storage at the Mettur Dam and bring much-needed relief to farmers in the Cauvery delta, where water availability has remained a major concern.
Officials said the increased discharge from Karnataka's Kabini and Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) reservoirs began reaching Biligundlu in the early hours of Tuesday. The inflow, which stood at just 500 cusecs on Monday evening, increased to around 1,000 cusecs during the early hours of Tuesday. It then rose rapidly to 8,000 cusecs by 7 a.m. before more than doubling to 18,000 cusecs by 10 a.m.
The flow is expected to increase further as Karnataka continues to release more than 27,000 cusecs from the Kabini and KRS reservoirs following heavy rainfall across the Cauvery catchment.
Water released from Karnataka reaches Biligundlu before flowing through Cauvery into the Mettur reservoir, which is a crucial source of irrigation for the delta districts of Tamil Nadu. Officials expect the fresh surge of water recorded at Biligundlu to reach the Mettur Dam by Tuesday evening or night, resulting in a substantial improvement in the reservoir's inflow.
At present, the situation at Mettur remains subdued. The reservoir's water level stood at 73.18 feet against its full reservoir level of 120 feet. The dam was receiving an inflow of only 68 cusecs, while 1,500 cusecs was being released to meet downstream requirements.
With the incoming Cauvery water expected to reach the reservoir within hours, officials are anticipating a sharp increase in inflow and a gradual improvement in storage.
The development has raised hopes among farmers in the Cauvery delta, particularly as the region has been facing concerns over inadequate water availability for cultivation.
Continued rainfall in upstream catchment areas and sustained releases from Karnataka's reservoirs could further strengthen the flow into Tamil Nadu over the coming days. Officials are closely monitoring the discharge from Kabini and KRS as well as the inflow recorded at Biligundlu and Mettur.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone from Trichy, I know exactly how tense this time of year gets for our farming families. 18,000 cusecs at Biligundlu is a massive jump from just 500! Let's hope this sustains for at least a couple of weeks so the Mettur reservoir can fill up properly. The delta's entire samba crop depends on this water. 🌾
It's disheartening that we celebrate basic water sharing between two states of the same country. Every year it's the same drama - protests, court cases, and only when heavy rainfall forces Karnataka to release water do we see progress. We need a permanent solution like interlinking of rivers rather than depending on monsoon moods.
Living in Bengaluru, I see both sides of this issue. Our city also depends on the KRS reservoir for drinking water. But agriculture is equally important. The real problem is climate change making rainfall patterns unpredictable. We need better rainwater harvesting and modern irrigation techniques in both states instead of fighting over a shared resource.
This is exactly why the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's verdict needs to be implemented in spirit, not just in letters. When rains are good, there's no reason Karnataka can't release water generously. Kudos to both state governments for co-operating this time. Let's hope the monsoon continues for another month 💧
I'm not from this region, but I've been following the Cauvery issue for years. It's sad how water sharing has become a matter of identity politics rather than scientific water management. With good rainfall and proper
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