By Shyam Sundar Vattam
Mysuru
Has the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah begun releasing water to Tamil Nadu even before the onset of the monsoon and the full replenishment of dams in the Cauvery basin?
This appears to be the case, going by the quantum of water being released from the Kabini Dam in Heggadadevanakote taluk, Mysuru district, since May 30. According to official data from the Department of Water Resources, a staggering 82,000 cusecs of water has been released from the Beechanahalli dam so far.
Interestingly, the inflow into the Kabini Dam has declined due to scanty rainfall in the catchment areas of neighbouring Kerala. Yet, the outflow has remained steady at approximately 5,000 cusecs per day. This discrepancy has raised suspicion that the Karnataka government may be silently releasing water to Tamil Nadu.
Last week, the Kabini reservoir had almost touched 2,280 feet, just shy of its maximum level of 2,284 feet, due to heavy inflows from the Wayanad region. However, the inflow has since dropped significantly following reduced rainfall in Kerala.
As per the data released by the Water Resources Department, the outflow recorded at the Kabini Dam was:
5,000 cusecs on May 29
4,813 cusecs on May 30
8,000 cusecs on May 31
8,000 cusecs on June 1
8,000 cusecs on June 2
6,238 cusecs on June 3
7,384 cusecs on June 4
8,000 cusecs on June 5
5,875 cusecs on June 6
5,000 cusecs per day from June 7 to 10
5,000 cusecs on June 11
Cumulatively, 82,000 cusecs have been released from the Kabini dam during this period.
Typically, the Department of Water Resources releases water only during periods of heavy inflow to maintain dam safety, but such inflow has not occurred recently due to a dry spell in Wayanad over the last week. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has now forecast a revival of the monsoon and expects consistent rainfall in the Kabini catchment areas from Tuesday.
However, by not providing valid explanations, the Department of Water Resources has fueled speculation that water is being prematurely diverted to Tamil Nadu before the monsoon intensifies and reservoirs in the Cauvery basin reach full capacity.