Scope has diminished for release of water from Bhavani Sagar Dam into the Kalingarayan canal for the Kuruvai season on June 15 as per the annual schedule.
Depleted storage
The depleted storage has caused worry among the farming community on the whole as the reservoir is the water source for 2.4 lakh acres in the ayacuts of Lower Bhavani Project, Thadapalli-Arakankottai canals and the Kalingarayan canal.
Seepage water
Seepage water from the canals irrigates an additional 40,000 acres. The level at present hovers around just 38 feet, compared to 66 at the same time last year.
Diminished rainfall in the catchments of Upper Bhavani, Kunda, Avalanchi, Emerald, Pykara and Moyar dams in The Nilgiris has caused the shortage in storage position.
Southwest monsoon
According to PWD Department sources, the situation was quite comfortable last year since the southwest monsoon rainfall began towards the end of May and continued all through June and July.
And after a gap of two months, there was good rainfall again during October and November.
Irrigation
This time around, the monsoon has just set in. In the absence of sustained rainfall, there will be difficulty in meeting the normal water requirement for irrigation, sources said.
