Falling water level at Hemavathy reservoir a cause for alarm

With the district reeling under a weak monsoon, the agrarian community has been anxious as the Hemavathy reservoir at Gorur in Hassan district has failed to reach its maximum level this year too. The inflow into the Yagachi reservoir in Belur and Vatehole in Alur taluk is nil.

With all the three reservoirs in the district yet to be filled, the farmers are a worried lot as their future looks bleak.

The district administration has meanwhile, geared up to create awareness among the farmers and advised them to seek guidance from the Agriculture and Horticulture departments before beginning agricultural activities. The farmers have been advised against taking a decision on their own.

Experts feel the inflow into the dams can increase only if heavy rains are experienced at Mudigere in Chikkamagalur district and Sakleshpur taluk. Usually by July, the dam reaches its brim but this year, the possibility of the dam getting filled seems bleak.

The capacity of Hemavathy dam is 37.103 tmcft. Last year the water level of the dam stood at 2,895.66 ft on the corresponding date and it is 2,875.68 ft this year. The storage level, which was 17.23 tmcfeet last year, is only 8 tmcft now. After deducting the dead storage, only 3.03 tmcft of water is available for drinking purposes.

The inflow is 2,158 cusecs and 150 cusecs is being utilised for drinking purposes. Hemavathy dam has recorded very low water level this year. It was 4.20 tmcft in 1982, 6.34 tmcft in 1995, 6.49 tmcft in 2002 and 5.70 tmcft in 2003.

District in-charge Minister A Manju said that water in the reservoir will be utilised only for drinking purposes.

“A report would be submitted to the government through the Deputy Commissioner over utilisation of water and what measures should be taken to supply water to the farmers and livestock,” he said.

Rohini Sindhuri, who took charge as Deputy Commissioner recently, said that it is not possible to get water even after drilling 800 ft at some places in the district.

“Discussions will be held with the authorities concerned to find a permanent solution. I will tour the taluks to explore whether there are possibilities of finding a permanent solution,” she said.

Irrigation
The water from Hemavathy reservoir irrigates around 1,74,480 acres of land in Hassan district, 2,92,920 acres in Mandya district, 5,600 acres in Mysuru district and 3.16 lakh acres in Tumakuru district. Besides, 45,756 acres of land is irrigated through lift irrigation.

Around 4.57 tmcft of water is used for drinking purposes in Hassan city, towns and rural areas. Hassan city gets 0.14 tmcft of water.