Monsoon nearly over, Cauvery reservoirs at half of last year’s levels

BENGALURU: The southwest monsoon formally ends in a few days, but reservoirs on the Cauvery basin are far emptier than they were a year ago.

Key points

• Hemavathy is the lowest at 41% as against 91% last year, KRS at 55% against 96% and Kabini at 58% against 93%.
• Water Resources Minister Cheluvarayaswamy informed The New Indian Express, The situation is grim and we are monitoring it 24/7.
• The water level data for September 28 demonstrates that the four reservoirs hold 59.5 tmcft as against 107.4 tmcft a year ago.
• KRS, the lifeline of the Mandya-Mysuru belt, holds regarding 18.6 tmcft of live storage.
• Secretary, disaster management and drought, Manoj Meena remarked rainfall in the Cauvery basin has been deficient, and what fell came too little and too late.

For context, the water level data for September 28 demonstrates that the four reservoirs hold 59.5 tmcft as against 107.4 tmcft a year ago. Of that, usable or live storage is only 36.2 tmcft, against 84.1 tmcft last year.

Notably, the fall is apparent at every reservoir. Hemavathy is the lowest at 41% as against 91% last year, KRS at 55% against 96% and Kabini at 58% against 93%. Harangi is better placed at 73% against 94%. These are gross figures, but what matters is the live storage. It is at 36 tmcft, roughly 40%, and is less than half of last year's 84 tmcft. Kabini's level reads 58% gross, but only around 1.5 tmcft, or around 15% of its live capacity, is usable.

Secretary, disaster management and drought, Manoj Meena remarked rainfall in the Cauvery basin has been deficient, and what fell came too little and too late. A sharp drop in farm production is projected. Rainfall is deficient in almost all Cauvery basin districts, and 220 of the state's 240 taluks have received less rain than normal. It he described as the second-worst shortfall in 50 years.

Water Resources Minister Cheluvarayaswamy informed The New Indian Express, "The situation is grim and we are monitoring it 24/7. I have been holding continuous meetings and consultations with experts. We will ensure that there is no difficulty for drinking water anywhere and as far as farmers' needs are concerned, we are working out ways to solve their difficulties."

KRS, the lifeline of the Mandya-Mysuru belt, holds regarding 18.6 tmcft of live storage. It is releasing around 1, 900 cusecs, including around 1, 000 cusecs of canal withdrawal, against inflow of only regarding 560 cusecs.

Hemavathy, at around 40%, limits what the Hassan-Tumakuru canal system can supply. The northeast monsoon, which will start in a few days, usually brings rain from October, but falls mostly over Tamil Nadu and does little for the Karnataka catchments that feed the river.

For now, monsoon nearly over, Cauvery reservoirs at half of last year's levels remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.