The early onset of monsoon with torrential rains in Kodagu and Chikkamagalur in Karnataka, and Wayanad in Kerala, has augmented the water inflow into major reservoirs in the Cauvery basin in the State.

These are early days of the onset of monsoon but the reservoirs in the downstream regions of the catchment areas of major rivers are registering copious inflow including at the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) in Mandya district, Hemavathi in Hassan district and Kabini in Mysuru district.

The inflow into the KRS was 19,129 cusecs at 8 a.m. on Tuesday compared to 2053 cusecs 24 hours earlier. This is due to incessant rains that have pounded Bhagamandala and surrounding regions in the upstream region in Kodagu district, which is the catchment for the river Cauvery. Bhagamandala was inundated due to heavy to very heavy rains for three consecutive days starting Sunday. While it received 168.2 mm of rainfall on Sunday, the rainfall recorded on Monday was 225 mm, and 112 mm of rainfall was recorded during the 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday.

The steady increase in inflow has also led to a rise in the water level of the reservoir, which was 89.35 ft. on Monday against the full reservoir level of 124.80 ft. But it increased to 92 ft. at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. The gross storage in the reservoir also increased from 15.55 tmc ft. to 17.16 tmc ft. during the same period.

The inflow into the Kabini reservoir at HD Kote in Mysuru district has also gone up due to copious rains in the Wayanad region of Kerala, which is the catchment for the Kapila river. According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), the inflow into the dam was at the rate of 21,946 cusecs compared to 13,037 cusecs on Monday and 2683 cusecs on Sunday. The reservoir level was 2267.75 feet against the FRL of 2284 feet.

The rate of inflow into Hemavathi at Gorur in Hassan was 17,812 cusecs on Tuesday while it was 9808 cusecs on Monday. The inflow has augmented due to heavy rains in the catchment area of Hemavathi river in Chikkamagalur district.

With the early onset of monsoon, which is also widespread and vigorous, the storage in the reservoirs is expected to reach comfortable positions earlier than expected this year. The Indian Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rains in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, and Mysuru districts during the next 48 to 72 hours, which will help sustain the inflow into the reservoirs.