The south-west monsoon has remained moderate to weak in parts of south Karnataka and Malnad, including Kodagu district which is the catchment area for the Cauvery.
Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Shivamogga districts have received 32% less rain than the long-term average for the region. As against a normal of 310 mm for the period June 1 to 27, the region has received a cumulative rainfall of 210 mm, according to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC).
Though the advent has been timely and the monsoon has covered the State, it has still not been vigorous in certain parts and there have been periods of weak activity.
In Kodagu, the monsoon activity has been marked by a period of light drizzle, followed by moderate rain. The pattern is uniform across the district which has received 294 mm, for June 1 to 27, against the normal of 453 mm [35% deficit].
Similarly, the shortfall is 29% in Shivamogga, 32% in Hassan, and 36% in Chikkamagaluru.
The scenario is no different in Mysuru which has received 54 mm as against the normal of 85 mm for June 1 to 27 [36% deficit]. However, Mysuru city and parts of the district received heavy rain on Sunday evening.
Not withstanding the rain deficit in the catchment area of the Cauvery and its tributaries, the water level at the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS), the Hemavati and the Harangi reservoirs, in the Cauvery basin, is higher than the 10-year average calculated for the period June 18 to 24. It is only lower in case of the Kabini reservoir, but this year’s water level at Kabini is more than what it was during the corresponding period last year, according to KSNDMC.
The higher water level at the KRS is also owing to the surplus which was the result of the floods that hit Kodagu in 2018 and 2019. The rain during the last four weeks further increased the water level.
According to KSNDMC, the water level at the KRS was around 96.52 ft., against the full reservoir level (FRL) of 124.8 ft. On the same day last year, it was 79.72 ft.
The live storage in the reservoir as on Saturday was 15.8 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft).
Hemavathi has 9.75 tmcft, Kabini 4.16 tmcft, and Harangi 3.48 tmcft, respectively.
The cumulative live storage across the four dams was 33.19 tmcft as on Saturday.
