Bengaluru : The Southwest monsoon has been lashing the three coastal districts for the last two days. The rains have risen the water levels to the brim in four reservoirs of the Cauvery basin.
In the Cauvery basin, the Kabini in H D Kote taluk, Mysuru district and Harangi in Somwarpet, Kodagu district are full to their capacity and the outflow has begun. The other two reservoirs – KRS in Mysuru district and Hemavathi – are almost full.
If the rains continue, they may touch the brim in the next couple of days, according to G S Srinivasa Reddy, director, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). He said, “The water levels in the major reservoirs of the State are best this time compared to the average in the last 10 years. The coastal districts are getting heavy rains. But north interior Karnataka is facing shortage of rain. Still, there will be no hydrological drought this time.” Minor irrigation tanks get water during September.
As per the statistics released by KSNDMC on Monday, outflow has begun from the reservoirs of Bhadra, Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Almatti and Narayanapura.
But the water levels in the hydel reservoirs – Linganamakki, Supa and Varahi – are yet to reach the satisfactory level.
302mm rainfall
From June 1 to 20, the State as a whole recorded 302 mm of rainfall against the normal of 376 mm, with departure from normal being (-)19 per cent.
Thus, it has fallen under the sub-normal category.
As on July 15, 295 hoblis of 86 taluks spread over 20 districts have recorded deficit rainfall for four consecutive weeks.
Widespread heavy rains are expected over the coastal districts and parts of the Malnad region.
There could be scattered to fairly widespread, moderate to heavy rains in south interior Karnataka. In north interior Karnataka, isolated to scattered rains are expected during the next one week.