Heavy rainfall in the catchment area of the Tunga reservoir in Karnataka has led to the opening of all 22 crest gates to release excess water. The water level reached its maximum on July 4, prompting officials of the Upper Tunga project to increase the outflow. As of July 7 morning, the gross storage stood at 3.24 TMC against a gross capacity of 3.24 TMC.
The inflow was 21,508 cusecs and the outflow was 19,078 cusecs earlier in the day, but by 3.30 p.m., the inflow had risen to 46,385 cusecs, prompting officials to increase the outflow to 43,305 cusecs. Officials handling the dam at Gajanur said 6.5 TMC of water has been discharged since June 1, most of it in the last three days. However, during the corresponding period last year, 60 TMC of water was discharged from the dam.
On average, 200 TMC of water is discharged from the dam annually. The Tunga and Bhadra rivers merge at Kudli near Shivamogga, and the Tunga is a major source for the Tunga Bhadra dam at Hosapete in Vijayanagara district. Several parts of Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts received moderate to heavy rain since July 4, prompting authorities to declare a holiday for schools in the respective taluks on July 6.
Heavy downpour in Hosanagara taluk of Shivamogga district and Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru district caused damage to houses and disrupted normal life. In the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on July 6, Masthikatte in Hosanagara taluk recorded the highest rainfall in Shivamogga district at 178 mm. On July 7, a heavy downpour in several parts of the Malnad region in Karnataka prompted the local administration to declare a holiday for schools and colleges in select taluks.
Primary schools, high schools, and anganwadi centres in Koppa, Sringeri, and Mudigere taluks of Chikkamagaluru district remained closed on July 7. In Shivamogga district, schools and anganwadi centres remained closed in Tirthahalli, Sagar, and Bhadravati taluks. With the dam full and all gates open, many tourists have shown interest in visiting it, but officials have restricted visitor entry.
