There’s more bad news for Bangalore, which received just seven days of rain in the last two months. Scanty rains in the Cauvery catchment in Kodagu and Wayanad in Kerala are likely to hit water supply to the city severely.
Reservoirs, including the Kabini which supplies a major chunk of water to Bangalore, are far from the full level they were supposed to have reached by now. Authorities are in a fix as they have to choose between meeting the farmers’ demand and quenching Bangalore’s thirst.
The situation will worsen if Tamil Nadu demands its share assured as per the Cauvery Tribunal’s order.
The Kabini dam has just 9.5 tmc ft of water against its capacity of 19.5 tmc ft and the inflow is just 2,854 cusecs. Karnataka was supposed to release 41 tmc ft of water to Tamil Nadu in May and June.
The Irrigation Department requires more than 19 tmc ft of water to meet Bangalore’s annual water needs and will also have to contend with demands from Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Nanjangud, Malavalli, Kollegal and T Narsipur.
An official with the department pleading anonymity said they can provide drinking water to Bangalore provided no water is given for irrigation or “others”.
Authorities have released 600 cusecs of water to Bangalore and the requirement would increase after commissioning of Cauvery IV Stage Phase II to Bangalore and the Kabini Water Supply Scheme to Mysore using 300 cusecs of water a day.
The dam staff, who said they used to discharge 300 cusecs of water to Bangalore 15 years ago, now release 550 to 600 cusecs.
Heggadevana Kote, which usually receives heavy rains, is witnessing one of the worst droughts. “I have not seen such a drought here in 40 years,” said Shira Sagar, a progressive farmer from Beechanahalli. He fears the failed monsoon will not only result in water shortage in Bangalore but also affect wild animals. More: P6
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