Kerala stares at another drought, reservoirs only 25 per cent full

India

oi-Anusha

Rainfall shortage has reduced inflow of water to dams and reservoirs in Kerala. The state is already staring at a fear of another drought but officials are hopeful that excessive rains in the coming days could reserve the situation.

The combined storage in 16 major reservoirs of Kerala is at a mere 25 per cent. While Kasaragod district recorded the best rainfall Kerala, it too fell deficient by 22 per cent.

Added to it, low rainfall in Kabini catchment area has reduced inflow to reservoirs and dams. Between June 1 and July 26, Kerala witnessed 926.6 mm rainfall against the Long Period Average of 1278.1 mm. The shortage is acute in Wayanad that is seeing 55 deficit rainfall. For the second consecutive year, Kerala is facing rainfall deficit and this time around, the deficit is a staggering 28 per cent.

In Karnataka, Kabini and Harangi reservoirs have reached capacity and water is being released to KRS dam. In keeping with the Supreme Court's order, the Karnataka government is also releasing water to Tamil Nadu via KRS.

The Almatti dam is almost full with water levels reaching 1702.92 ft as against the full capacity of 1705. Narayanapur dam in the Krishna river basin recorded water levels at 1613.32 ft on July 28 as against the maximum capacity of 1615 ft. Nizamsgar in the Godavari river basin recorded water levels of 1380.3 ft as against the full capacity of 1405c ft on Friday.

OneIndia News