Storage precarious across Karnataka reservoirs; hopes pinned on rains in July, August
The rainfall deficiency in the State during June due to a sluggish start to the southwest monsoon has turned the spotlight on the storage position
The rainfall deficiency in the State during June due to a sluggish start to the southwest monsoon has turned the spotlight on the storage position across major reservoirs which is precarious compared to the scenario last year. The water level in the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) dam across the Cauvery was 80.82 feet as on July 2, 2026, while it had attained its maximum capacity of 124.8 ft on the same day last year. The available storage in the reservoir as on July 2, 2026, was 6.75 tmcft against 45.05 tmcft stored on the same day last year. As per the data of the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), the cumulative storage across the major reservoirs as on July 2, 2026, was 189 tmcft against the installed gross storage capacity of 895.65 tmcft. This is hardly 21% of the installed capacity and is in contrast to the cumulative storage position on the same day last year — 535.39 tmcft or nearly 60% of the capacity.
Cauvery and Krishna basins The low storage position is a direct fallout of rainfall deficiency and is visible across all river basins. For instance, in the Cauvery basin of the State, the gross capacity across the Krishnaraja Sagar, Hemavathi, Kabini and Harangi dams is 114.57 tmcft against which the available storage on July 2, 2026, was 24.47 tmcft. This contrasts the cumulative storage of 93.93 tmcft on the same day last year. The Krishna basin presents a mixed picture. Almatti contained 20.9 tmcft, against its gross capacity of 123.08 tmcft, while Narayanapura, benefiting from upstream releases and inflows, was relatively better placed at 61% of the capacity. Storage in the Krishna basin is 91.29 tmcft as against 282.81 tmcft stored on the same day last year. The hydel reservoirs held 49.4 tmcft as on July 2, 2026, compared to 133.7 tmcft last year, according to KSNDMC.
Other reservoirs Among the other major reservoirs, Linganamakki has a storage of only 15.17 tmcft against its capacity of 151.75 tmcft, and the storage position of Bhadra, as on July 2, 2026, is 24.88 tmcft against 46.01 tmcft during the corresponding period last year. Only Narayanapura and Vani Vilas Sagar have crossed the halfway mark of their storage capacities, at 61% and 78% respectively, so far this year. The rainfall pattern during June indicates that the catchments feeding the Cauvery reservoirs, particularly in Kodagu, Hassan and Mysuru regions, have not yet received the sustained spells required to generate large inflows. Inter-State ramification The current reservoir situation also has an inter-State ramification as Karnataka has to meet its obligation to the lower riparian State of Tamil Nadu. It had to release 9.14 tmcft in June and 31.24 tmcft in July during a normal water year extending from June to May.
The BriefWire