Water only for drinking and not irrigation for now as KRS levels stay low: Ramalinga Reddy
Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy announced that water in the KRS reservoir will be reserved for drinking purposes only due to low levels. The state is monitoring inflows and considering cloud seeding to address rainfall deficits.
Why it matters
Water management decisions in the Cauvery basin have significant implications for regional agriculture and inter-state water sharing.
The water currently available in the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir is sufficient to meet drinking water requirements for the next three to four months, but cannot be released for irrigation at present, Karnataka Water Resources Minister Ramalinga Reddy said on Friday (July 10).
Addressing presspersons after chairing a meeting with elected representatives and officials from Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts to review the water situation in the KRS command area, the Minister said the existing storage would be reserved primarily for drinking water supply.
He said the reservoir presently holds 14.5 tmcft of water, of which about 10.1 tmcft is utilisable after excluding dead storage. “The available water will be sufficient to meet drinking water needs in Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts for the next three to four months. Irrigation releases are not possible under the present circumstances,” he said.
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