Heavy rains, Harangi reservoir level rises, farmers happy
CH NEWS KODAGU The water level of the Cauvery River has risen following heavy rains overnight in many places, including the district headquarters Madikeri. As a result, about 2846 cusecs of water flowed into the Harangi reservoir by 8.30 am on Sunday. Monsoon rainfall in June and July had decreased significantly. The district was deficient by about 42% of its normal rainfall. The Harangi reservoir was filled with water after receiving some rainfall in August. Later, there was a significant shortage of rain, and the water level in the Cauvery River and Harangi reservoir had dropped significantly. Due to the heat, rocks were seen in the Cauvery River. Now, due to the depression in the atmosphere, the district has been receiving good rains for the last four days. Farmers are happy due to the continuous rains. The inflow in the Harangi reservoir, which was 500 to 600 cusecs for the past few days, has now increased to 2,812 cusecs due to continuous rains. The Harangi reservoir, which has a water storage capacity of 8.5 TMC, currently has 4.3 TMC of water stored. In recent days, people have been worried due to the rising temperature and lack of water availability. Especially in the coming summer, there was a fear that there would be a problem of drinking water and water for agricultural activities. However, the rains that are currently pouring have given new hope to the people. If the rainfall in the Harangi basin increases further, the inflow into the reservoir is expected to increase further. On the other hand, despite the good rainfall, houses have been damaged in some parts of the district. Somwarpet Hobli area received 32.4 mm of rainfall, Shanivarasante 31.6 mm, Shantalli 35.1, Kodlipete 20.2, Kushalnagar 40.9, Suntikoppa 38.6, Madikeri 40.2, Napoklu 35.6, Sampaje 50.6, Bhagamandala 45.3, Virajpet 22.39, Ammatthi 8.1, Ponnampet 5.3, Srimangala 8.2, Hudikeri 12.7, and Balele 5.4 mm. Houses have been damaged again due to rain. The house of Padmayya Chamakaje, a resident of P. Peraje village in Sampaje hobli of Madikeri taluk, was completely damaged due to heavy rain. The house of Yashoda, a resident of Siddalingapura village in Kushalnagar taluk, suffered damage to part of the wall due to heavy rain. The recent intensification of rains in Kodagu has led to an increase in the water level in the Harangi reservoir, bringing some relief to the people who were worried about the water shortage in the summer.
