Bangaloreans and Mysoreans, who depend on the Krishna Raj Sagar (KRS) and the Kabini for their drinking water needs, will have to brace themselves for tough times.
The water level at KRS, which has a maximum capacity of 124 ft, has come down to 68.9 feet. At the same time last year the water level was 83.85 ft. The situation is expected to worsen in the coming days.
The scene at Kabini, from which Bangalore receives 400 cusecs water every day, is not very bright either. Currently, the dam has about 2,261.05 ft of water; it has a storage capacity of 19.52 tmc ft. The level last year was 2,262.53 ft.
The current situation, though quite grim, is not as bad as it was in 2003 when the level  dipped to 2,243 ft.
KRS quenches the thirst of Mysore, Mandya, Srirangapattana and Pandavapura cities, and some water is sent to Bangalore too. By this time last year, the KRS and Kabini catchment areas had received pre-monsoon rains.
A major catchment area of  the KRS, Kodagu, had received good rainfall. This time round, Madikeri has received only two spells of rain, affecting the flow of water into the KRS, resulting in a sharp dip in level.
Kabini gets water only when Kerala receives good rainfall. Last year, due to good rainfall, the inflow was considerably good. This year, even as it is mid-May, there is no sign of rain and water in the dam is slowing drying up.
Early monsoon: Page 6