File image of Kabini reservoir.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Water released from the Kabini Dam in Karnataka is expected to reach the Tamil Nadu boundary on Monday (August 3, 2026) and flow into the Mettur Dam by Monday night or Tuesday (August 4), according to Water Resources Department (WRD) officials.
Following heavy rainfall over the past few days in Karnataka, the Karnataka government began releasing Cauvery water from the Kabini Dam on Saturday (August 1). Officials had initially expected the water to reach Tamil Nadu by Sunday (August 2) evening. However, the flow has been delayed as the water is moving slowly through the dry Cauvery riverbed.
WRD officials at the Mettur Dam said water was first released from the Kabini Dam at 500 cusecs on Saturday (August 1) morning. The discharge was gradually increased to 5,000 cusecs in the afternoon before reaching 25,000 cusecs by Saturday night.
They said the dry riverbed had absorbed a significant amount of the released water, slowing its downstream movement. As a result, the water is now expected to reach the Mettur Dam on Monday (August 3) night or Tuesday.
“We expect the present discharge of 25,000 cusecs to continue for the next few days. If the Mettur Dam receives 25,000 cusecs of inflow for an entire day, the water level will rise by about four feet. Once the reservoir level crosses 90 feet, the government will decide on releasing water from the dam for delta irrigation,” WRD officials said.
Officials said Tamil Nadu is likely to receive a substantial quantity of Cauvery water only after the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam fills up. The dam is yet to reach capacity. At present, the reservoir holds around 20 tmc ft of water against its storage capacity of 49.45 tmc ft.
“If the current spell of rain continues, the KRS Dam is expected to reach capacity within the next 10 days. Thereafter, surplus water from Karnataka is expected to flow into the Mettur Dam,” the officials added.
On Sunday (August 2), the water level at the Mettur Dam stood at 73.33 feet against its full reservoir level of 120 feet. The storage stood at 35.63 tmc ft, compared with the dam’s capacity of 93.47 tmc ft. Inflow into the reservoir increased to 47 cusecs from 42 cusecs, while the discharge for drinking water purposes into the Cauvery river was maintained at 1,500 cusecs.
Published – August 02, 2026 11:06 pm IST
