Heavy rains in Wayanad fill Kabini dam, ease Cauvery water crisis

Pulpally: Heavy rain in Wayanad has provided a timely reprieve in the Cauvery water dispute, with surging inflows filling the Beechanahalli dam in Karnataka and easing pressure on the State to release water to drought-hit Tamil Nadu.

Fed largely by runoff from Wayanad's catchment areas, the reservoir filled to capacity for the first time this year on Sunday after intense rain in the upper reaches. Four shutters of the dam were opened later in the evening, releasing around 5,000 cusecs of water into the Cauvery.

The fresh inflows have eased a crisis that had reignited the long-running Cauvery water-sharing dispute. A day earlier, the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal had directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water a day to Tamil Nadu to ease an acute water shortage. Karnataka had argued that depleted reservoir levels left it with little water to spare, but the tribunal insisted on the release.

The order had sparked widespread protests by farmers' organisations in Karnataka, particularly in H D Kote, where the Beechanahalli dam is located. With the region itself receiving scant rainfall, agitating farmers staged road blockades and other demonstrations and accused the government of releasing water despite local shortages. Farmer groups have also called for a statewide bandh on August 13. Amid the escalating tensions, a proposed visit by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to Karnataka too had to be cancelled.

The heavy rain over Wayanad during the past two days, however, has transformed the situation by sending a surge of water into the Kabini.Further strengthening the inflows, the Kodagu forest region has also witnessed heavy rain. Rising discharge from the Aragi river, which originates in the Nagarhole forests, has further boosted water levels in the Cauvery. The increased inflows have offered a temporary reprieve from a crisis that threatened to further strain relations between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.