DHARMAPURI: The release of water from Karnataka’s reservoirs increased inflow in the Cauvery River at Biligundlu and Hogenakkal, Water Resources Department (WRD) officials said.They said the discharge from Kabini reservoir touched 27,000 cubic feet per second on Monday (cusecs), leading to a rise in water levels downstream.At Biligundlu, the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border point, the inflow rose to 1,000 cusecs this early morning, compared to 500 cusecs recorded a day earlier.“Currently the flow measured 9,000 cusecs,” the officer noted.Heavy rains across the catchment areas of Kerala especially Wayanad, and Karnataka rapidly filled the reservoirs, prompting Karnataka authorities to gradually increase the outflow to ensure dam safety.Since August 1, the Kabini reservoir released water in stages, beginning at 10,000 cusecs, then 20,000, 25,000, and then 27,000 cusecs.At Hogenakkal, the Cauvery’s flow doubled to 1,000 cusecs around 6 am, and officials expected further increases in the coming days.“The inflow will continue to rise steadily as upstream catchments are receiving heavy rainfall,” senior WRD engineers said, adding that the situation was being closely monitored.(Photos: S Parthiban)
