Mysuru, 1 Aug

A day ahead of Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s all-party meeting on the Cauvery issue, the Kabini dam reached its maximum capacity on Saturday. The excess floodwater will be released to Tamil Nadu.

The Kabini dam on the Cauvery river is located in HD Kote of Mysuru district.

According to the dam authorities, 8,000 cusecs to 10,000 cusecs is expected to be released into the dam, which is more than the double of Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) prescribed 3,500 cusecs daily flow to Tamil Nadu.

As against a maximum of 2,284 ft, the dam’s level stood at 2,282 ft factoring in the heavy inflow owing to copious rainfall in Wayanad district in neighbouring State of Kerala. 

There are also indications that the inflow could cross 20,000 cusecs, which will then be let out of the dam.

Shivakumar said the inflow into Kabini had touched 40,000 cusecs and nature could not be controlled by human decisions. He urged Kannada organisations to withdraw their proposed bandh on 13 August, and accused the Opposition parties of politicising the issue. He said that the State government is bound by the Supreme Court’s verdict on Cauvery water sharing.

“Once a dam is full, water has to be released. It is impossible to hold it back. I humbly appeal to those planning to agitate against the release of water to withdraw their decision," he said. “There is an order to release 177 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu, and the Supreme Court has upheld it. We must respect the court's order while also protecting the interests of our farmers.”

The Kabini dam used to fill up during the month of May or June every year. However, due to a weak monsoon and the El Nino conditions, it filled up only by the 1st week of August.

Meanwhile, the inflow to Harangi dam has also increased, and the dam is likely to be filled by Sunday, according to the Irrigation Department. The total storage capacity of the reservoir is 16 TMC feet.

However, the KRS dam, the principal reservoir on the Cauvery, maintained 94.1 feet of water against its maximum storage capacity of 124.80 feet as on Saturday. But the inflow to dam increased to around 14,000 to 20,000 cusecs of water on Friday and Saturday following heavy rains in its catchment areas.