Good news for Cauvery farmers

Mysore: Farmers who did not receive enough water for their Rabi crops grown in the Cauvery basin last year, have good news awaiting them.

Despite the state releasing more than its stipulated quota of water-236.38tmc- to Tamil Nadu as against the Cauvery water dispute tribunal notification to release 192 TMC for the entire year, areas irrigated by Hemavathi and KRS reservoirs will get water for the Rabi crop in the coming summer and also drinking water.

Farmers relying on Hemavathi reservoir will be receiving water for the Rabi crop after four long years.

But areas irrigated by Kabini reservoir, will be covered only partially, as Wyanad in Kerala which feeds the reservoir, has not received adequate rainfall during the North East Monsoon.

The storage capacity of reservoirs in the Cauvery basin is 104 TMC.

The reservoirs are filled upto 66 percent and currently have 69 TMC water, according to highly placed sources in the water resources department.

The water level at KRS on Saturday was 118.55 feet as against its capacity of 24.80feet with the storage at 32 TMC.

Last year on the same day, the water level was 97.17 feet.

While 3.5lakh acres of irrigated land come under KRS, only 50 percent can grow Rabi crops and so the water needs of these crops apart from the 3TMC needed for drinking water can easily be met till next June, sources said.

Sources at Hemavathi said  they had 15.39 TMC of water with the level at 2,900.12 feet as against the capacity of 2,922 feet.