30 per cent deficit rain in June, Cauvery dams get 2nd lowest inflow in 42 years
Mysuru: If the rains do not pick up soon, the state could be facing a water crisis with a 30 percent deficit in rainfall in June including 46 percent in the Malnad areas which constitute the Cauvery catchment area. Reservoirs in the Cauvery catchment area including KRS, Harangi and Hemavathi which were supposed to receive 31.5 tmcft of inflow, have received hardly 3 tmcft in June-the second lowest in the past 42 years after 1976.
There is also over 55 percent deficiency in rains in Wayanad in Kerala, which has hit the inflow into Kabini reservoir, according to director of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, Dr G.S. Srinivasreddy.
The state was supposed to record 185 mm rainfall in June but has recorded only 129mm. Malnad areas which constitute the Cauvery catchment area, including Kodagu, Hassan, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru recorded only 182mm of rainfall as against the normal 335 mm of rainfall, indicating a 46 percent deficit, Dr Reddy said.
“The South-West Monsoon arrived in the state only on June 14. But there is hope as we still have three more months of the monsoon left and the forecast of the Indian Meteorological department is normal rainfall in July. Three 3 tmcft of water is needed every month to meet the drinking water needs of Bengaluru, Mysuru, 625 villages and 43 towns,” Dr Srinivasreddy said.
On Saturday, the water level at KRS was 79.88 feet (last year on the same day, it was 106.25 feet) as against its capacity of 124.80 feet, the level in Kabini was 2257.48 feet (last year on same day: 2282.23 feet) as against its capacity of 2284 feet, Harangi had 2807.67 feet (last year, it was 2845.50 feet) as against its capacity of 2859 feet, Hemavathi had 2264.94 feet (last year on the same day, it was 2905.60 feet) as against its capacity of 2922 feet. There is 6.33 tmcft water in KRS, 2.57 tmcft in Kabini, 3.68 tmcft in Hemavathi and 1.26 tmcft in Harangi reservoirs.
Also the coastal region recorded 475mm of rainfall as against 767mm of normal rain which is a 38 percent deficit. North interior Karnataka recorded 81 mm of rain as against 97 mm of normal rainfall which indicates a 17 percent deficit. It is only South interior Karnataka (except Mysuru and Davangere which received deficit rainfall) which has recorded 3 percent excess rainfall. Among 30 districts 17 districts received normal rainfall, and the rest of the districts received deficit rain.
