Excess Cauvery water being released from Kabini dam reaches TN

DHARMAPURI: The excess water being released from the Kabini dam in Karnataka since Sunday evening reached the Tamil Nadu border in the early hours of Tuesday.

In the wake of heavy rainfall in various parts of Karnataka, the water flow in the Cauvery began to increase. On Sunday, Karnataka officials began to release 8,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of surplus water from the Kabini dam into the Cauvery river.

The water reached Biligundlu, the entry point into Tamil Nadu, at 1 am on Tuesday. After a few hours, it reached the Hogenakkal waterfalls in Dharmapuri district.

A water resources department (WRD) official said, "While the flow was 3,000 cusecs at Biligundlu until Monday night, it rose to 6,000 cusecs on Tuesday morning."

The water level in the Stanley reservoir in Mettur in Salem district has also been steadily increasing. The dam's water level was recorded at 112.71 feet, compared to its full capacity of 120 feet. The inflow was measured at 3,190 cusecs at 8am on Tuesday. It rose to 5,000 cusecs by Tuesday evening.

WRD officials were releasing 1,000 cusecs of water from the reservoir for drinking purposes.