Karnataka releases 76,000 cusecs of water into Cauvery; inflow rises in Mettur dam

SALEM: Karnataka on Thursday increased the total quantum of water being released into the Cauvery river from Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) and Kabini dams to 76,000 cusecs from 50,000 cusecs on Wednesday as the catchment areas received heavy rainfall."Around 46,000 cubic feet of water is being released every second from the KRS dam, while 30,000 cusecs is being released from the Kabini dam," said an official. Meanwhile, the inflow into the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur rose from 13,332 cubic feet on Wednesday evening to 18,290 cusecs on Thursday. "The current water level in Mettur dam is 112.73 feet, with a water reserve of 82.34 TMC," reported a water resources department (WRD) official. Around 20,000 cusecs of water was being released from the dam for irrigation purposes in the Cauvery Delta districts. Water level in the Stanley Reservoir is expected to reach its full capacity of 120 feet within a week.The water flow in the Cauvery at Hogenakkal in Dharmapuri district surged to 53,000 cusecs on Thursday from the 18,000 cusecs recorded on Wednesday evening. The Dharmapuri district administration has banned bathing and coracle rides in Hogenakkal. "We have halted bathing, fishing, and coracle riding until further notice," said Dharmapuri district collector R Sadeesh.