Cauvery basin dams see huge inflows

Incessant rain following the early onset of the Southwest Monsoon in the catchment areas of the Cauvery basin has resulted in the water level at the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam in Mandya district rising by 14 feet in the past one week. The water level has registered a similar rise at other reservoirs in the Cauvery Basin as well.

At onset of the monsoon – May 24, 2025 – water level at the KRS dam had dropped to 89.1 ft against a maximum of 124.8ft. However, on Sunday, the dam recorded an inflow of 17,544 cusecs, with the water level standing at 103.7ft.

Copious inflow has pushed the water level at the Kabini dam in HD Kote taluk, Mysuru district by four feet.

At Hemavathi dam, the water level has increased by a little more than seven feet in the past week. On Sunday, water level at the dam, which recorded an inflow of 2,489 cusecs, stood at 2,905.97ft against its total height of 2,922ft. Similarly, the Harangi Dam too has registered a nine-foot rise in its water level in this period. While the water level stood at 2,832.78ft on May 24, it had risen to 2,849.85ft against its capacity of 2,859ft.

Officials at the Meteorological Centre in Bengaluru confirmed that the Southwest Monsoon, entered Karnataka on May 25 and covered the entire state by May 28.

Between May 25 and 31, the state registered excess rainfall to the tune of 298%, with average rainfall across the state being recorded at 92mm against a normal quota of 22.6mm.