Cauvery floods low-lying areas

With nearly 1.30 lakh cusecs of water flowing out of the Krishnarajasagar (KRS) and Kabini reservoirs, the district authorities have taken up emergency measures to evacuate the people living in the low-lying areas of Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts.

The northern entry to the KRS as well as the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary on the banks of the river Cauvery has been closed to tourists.

Boating in the bird sanctuary has been suspended, while the river has inundated the bridge there and is threatening the birds in the sanctuary.

All the three reservoirs, apart from the Hemavathi in Hassan district have reached their maximum storage levels.

The water level on Thursday morning was as follows: KRS "� 124.80 ft (today's level and maximum level both), inflow 76,349 cusecs, discharge 73,913 cusecs, release from canals 41.073 cusecs. Kabini "� maximum 2,284, present level 2,281.91 ft. Inflow 55,216, outflow 55,100, canals 8.374. Harangi "� maximum 2,859, today's level 2,858.45 ft, inflow 11,665, discharge 7,719, canals 7.564.

Though there is a marginal fall in the discharge from KRS by about 5,000 cusecs over last evening, the release from Kabini has remained almost the same at 55,000 cusecs on account of heavy and incessant rains in the catchment areas of Kodagu and the neighbouring Wynad in Kerala.

In all, 1,29,129 cusecs are flowing out of the two reservoirs into Tamil Nadu, where Mettur is also reportedly nearing its maximum level of 120 feet.

About 140 families have been shifted to safer areas in T Narasipur and Nanjangud taluks. The authorities have initiated steps to shift more families living in the low-lying areas, in case the discharge of two reservoirs crosses 1.50 lakh cusecs.

Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy will perform pooja to the rivers Cauvery and Kabini on Friday afternoon at the KRS and Kabini reservoirs.

He will be accompanied by deputy chief minister BS Yediyurappa. Meanwhile, Raitha Sangha (farmers association) president KS Puttanaiah has threatened a dharna when the chief minister visits KRS to protest the government's 'failure' in meeting the needs of the farmers.