Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Continued heavy inflows unlikely

By T. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI July 18. The much-awaited flood flows from Karnataka have arrived but water experts here are not certain how long ``this heavy inflow'' will continue.

``We have not received any communication from our counterparts in Karnataka on release of surplus water from the Kabini reservoir,'' says a Public Works department official. Besides, according to reports reaching here, the rainfall in Kerala (where the catchment of the Kabini is located) is not intense, though fairly widespread.

Karnataka is on record that as the Kabini reservoir has almost touched the full level, authorities started letting out ``excess water''. This evening, the Mettur reservoir in Tamil Nadu recorded an inflow of around 11,600 cusecs. The level in the dam stood at 36.05 feet (full level 120 feet) and the storage was 10.145 tmcft (capacity 93.4 tmcft).

Though the present inflow is high, it offers little help to anxious farmers and officials of Tamil Nadu because the storage in Mettur is negligible. It is likely to remain so until the flows continue at this level for the next one month or so.

But, given the present conditions, the possibility of Mettur receiving continued high flows is remote as the ``release of water'' may stop anytime, once the rains subside. Another factor is the poor storage in the major reservoir in Karnataka, Krishnaraja Sagar, (from where water is also released for Tamil Nadu during times of plenty).

In normal circumstances, farmers in the Cauvery delta districts require at least 1.5 tmcft everyday. ``That is why the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal prescribed, in its interim order, a receipt of 42.7 tmcft for July and 54.7 tmcft for August at Mettur,'' the official points out.

Since the current irrigation season began on June 1, the cumulative deficit in the receipt of Cauvery water has been 32 tmcft. Last month, the dam received only 1.8 tmcft against the prescribed quantum of 10.16 tmcft. Till date, it registered about 2 tmcft, whereas the dam was supposed to get about 26 tmcft in the elapsed period of this month.

On opening of the dam for irrigation, the authorities say the farmers may have to wait until the storage reaches at least 30 tmcft. Not only that, there should be a ``promise of favourable'' monsoon. ``Otherwise, the storage merely reaching the 30-tmcft mark will not suffice,'' observes an expert.

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