MANDYA: In what is likely to evoke a smile not only on the face of the lakhs of farmers in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, but to all those who rely on the waters of the Cauvery River for drinking, the water level at Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam in Mandya district reached the brim on Thursday, with excess water being released from the reservoir’s crest gates.
As on Thursday, the water level at the dam stood at124.8ft, which is also the reservoir’s capacity. While the dam recorded an inflow of 6,883 cusecs, 6,576 cusecs were released from the reservoir on Thursday.
Although relieved at the dam filling up to the brim, farmers in the Cauvery Delta could not help but rue the belated good news; the dam has reached its maximum storage level after the monsoon season, and the inflow to the reservoir spiked over the past few weeks owing to unseasonal showers in Karnataka, courtesy of a low-pressure formation in the sea.
CM Basavaraj Bommai is expected to offer bagina to the river at the KRS Dam next week.
