Cauvery Water from Kabini Dam Set to Reach Tamil Nadu Soon

Water released from the Kabini Dam in Karnataka is expected to reach the border of Tamil Nadu by Monday, August 3, 2026. It will then flow into the Mettur Dam by Monday night or Tuesday, August 4.

Heavy rain in recent days caused the Karnataka government to start releasing water from the Kabini Dam on Saturday, August 1. Initially, officials thought the water would reach Tamil Nadu by Sunday evening, but it is moving slowly due to the dry Cauvery riverbed, which has absorbed much of the released water.

On Saturday morning, water was first released at a rate of 500 cusecs (a unit of flow measurement). By Saturday night, this was increased to 25,000 cusecs. The slow movement is because the dry riverbed has taken in a lot of the water.

Officials expect the Mettur Dam to receive water by Monday night or Tuesday. If the dam gets 25,000 cusecs of water each day for several days, its water level will rise by about four feet. Once the reservoir reaches a certain level (above 90 feet), the government will decide if water can be released for irrigation.

Tamil Nadu is likely to get more Cauvery water only after the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam in Karnataka fills up completely. Currently, it holds around 20 tmc ft of water out of its total capacity of 49.45 tmc ft. If heavy rain continues, the dam could fill up within the next 10 days.

On Sunday, August 2, the Mettur Dam’s water level was at 73.33 feet (out of a maximum 120 feet), with storage at 35.63 tmc ft (out of its total capacity of 93.47 tmc ft). Inflow had increased to 47 cusecs, while water released for drinking purposes remained at 1,500 cusecs.