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People shift to higher areas in Dharmapuri district as Cauvery water level increases

Following massive inflows into the Cauvery river, people living in the low-lying areas of Hogenakkal have been forced to move to safer places, according to reports.

Following torrential rains in Karnataka and Wayanad, the inflow into Kabini and Krishnarajasagar (KRS) dams on Cauvery touched 2.9 lakh cusecs on Sunday. To manage the dam levels, the government of Karnataka has been releasing water from these two dams into the Cauvery river, which reaches the Mettur dam in Salem via Biligundlu. As on Monday morning, the inflow into Mettur dam crossed 1.6 lakh cusecs and is on the rise.

People living in Chathiram, Ottamalai, Indira Nagar, Natramkottai and Hogenakkal have reportedly moved to places in higher areas as the water flow in Cauvery is increasing by the minute. The Dharmapuri district administration has also deployed police personnel along the river banks in Hogenakkal to prevent people from entering the river. Coracle services have also been suspended in the area and bathing has been strictly prohibited.

As on Sunday, the combined release from the KRS and Kabini reservoirs in Karnataka stood at over 1.78 lakh cusecs, according to data available with the government of Karnataka. The Central Water Commission had also issued an advisory to the district administrations of four districts along the course of Cauvery – Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Erode and Salem – to adopt precautions as the water flow is on the rise.

The Indian Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rains in isolated places in Cauvery catchment areas for the next two days. While Kabini dam gets its inflow from Wayanad in Kerala, KRS dam gets water from Kodagu in Karnataka. Heavy rainfall in both these districts in the last few days have contributed to a steep rise in the inflows to these two dams, apart from causing widespread damage to the districts by flooding and landslides. 

Source: The News Minute