Monsoon lag leaves Bhadra 14 ft short of last year's mark

Chikkamagaluru: Weak monsoon showers in the Malnad region have left water level at the Bhadra reservoir, the lifeline for four districts, 14 feet lower than last year.As of June 21, the water level stood at 136 ft against 150 ft on the same day in 2025.

Storage stood at 24.62 TMC, compared to 30.75 TMC last year. Inflow also took a hit, falling to 211 cusecs against 9,760 cusecs last June.Originating in Kudremukh’s Varaha Parvatha in the Western Ghats, the Bhadra flows through Kalasa, Balehonnur and Narasimharajapura before reaching the Bhadra dam at Lakkavalli. Water from the dam is the lifeline for Shivamogga, Davanagere, Chikkamagaluru and Ballari districts.The Bhadra river later joins Tunga, near Shivamogga, to form the Tungabhadra, feeding large parts of north Karnataka.Annual drinking water requirements for the region stands at 6.9 TMC, with monsoon and summer crops needing 61 TMC. Officials said though drinking water needs can be met as of now, if there isn’t enough rainfall in July-Aug, irrigation will suffer.“There is more water now than required for drinking, but we can’t release all the water for irrigation.

If good rain brings water to the dam, we’ll decide on releasing it for crops,” an official explained.Two canals from Bhadra help irrigate farmlands at Shivamogga, Davanagere, Chikkamagaluru and Ballari. Last year, timely monsoon filled the dam in June itself. This year, though, pre-monsoon and early monsoon showers were inadequate, pushing down the water levels.According to M Thirumalesh, the joint director for agriculture, the district received only 1 mm of rain on Saturday, with Mudigere and Sringeri taluks also receiving a similar quantity.

No other taluk witnessed any rain.Commenting on the current situation, Lakshman Gowda, a farmer from N R Pura, told TOI: “Upstream farmers will be affected in the days ahead if the current situation holds. If rainfall fails in July as well, both downstream and upstream-side farmers will be affected.”