Suvarnavathi reservoir in Chamarajanagar district
The increase in water levels has brought cheer to farmers in their command areas as the dams cater to 15,357 hectares in three taluks of the district and resulted in an increase in the groundwater level. Apart from supplying water for agricultural activities, water from Suvarnavathi dam is also used to fill 11 lakes, while water from Chikkahole reservoir will also be used to fill two lakes for drinking water purposes. Govt of Karnataka constructed these two dams in 1977 with the main intention of utilising the rain water from their catchment areas in Tamil Nadu . The current water level of Suvarnavathi stands at 2,435 feet against its maximum level of 2,445 feet. The water level of Chikkahole stood at 2,455 feet against its maximum level of 2,474 feet as on Saturday.
People of the region were worried as the twin reservoirs dried up due to the prolonged dry spell prevailing in the district this year due to the weak monsoon. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mysuru | Silver Rate in Mysuru | Bank Holidays in Mysuru | Public Holidays in Mysuru Stay updated with the latest Mysuru news.
Speaking to TOI, assistant executive engineer of Chikkahole reservoir Mahesh said that usually both these twin reservoirs, which are the lifeline of three taluks of Chamarajanagar such as Kollegal, Yelandur and Chamarajanagar, and a few pockets of Hanur taluk, fill up during the months of Oct and Nov, with their catchments receiving rain. If the rain continues to batter their catchment areas in Tamil Nadu, the dams will fill to their brim levels by next week, he said. Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leader Baradanapura Nagaraj said the water level decreased two weeks back as there was no sign of rain this year; however, the increase in inflow to these twin reservoirs has brought cheer to farmers of the region as well as led to rejuvenation of the groundwater table.
Mysuru: With heavy rain in their catchment areas, water levels at Chikkahole and Suvarnavathi, the twin reservoirs of Chamarajanagar district, have started rising. The reservoirs which are located close to national highways along the Chamarajanagar-Sathyamangalam stretch. Water flow into the reservoirs increased following their catchment areas in the neighbouring Sathyamangalam region of Tamil Nadu and Bedaguli range of BRT tiger reserve receiving heavy rainfall for the last three days. The water levels in both these have been increasing for the last three days. He appealed to the district administration to ban the extraction of sand and soil from their river beds whenever these reservoirs went dry as such activities were carried out in the dark. Download the TOI App.