Shivamogga: Following heavy rainfall in its catchment areas across the Malnad region, the Tunga dam at Gajanur near Shivamogga city has reached its near-maximum capacity, forcing the dam authorities to release floodwater to the river on Sunday.Totally, 10 sluice gates were opened to safely release water to manage the rising volume and control water levels. Currently, a total volume of 18,051 cusecs of water is being discharged directly into the Tunga River, against an inflow of 20,565 cusecs.According to official logs released by the dam authorities, Tunga dam is now hovering just inches away from its maximum level. The current water level is 588.1 metres against a maximum limit of 588.2 metres. This dam, which features a total storage capacity of 3.24 tmc, has already accumulated 3.206 tmc of water.Surge lower than last year: OfficialsData shared by reservoir officials reveals that while the dam is fast-filling, the surge is lower than what was recorded during the exact same period last year, when the water level stood at 587.54 metres but handled a much more intense inflow of 46,042 cusecs and an outflow of 38,345 cusecs. Because the river channels are filling up quickly and weather forecasts indicate continued rainfall in the Malnad region, reservoir engineers and local authorities are keeping a round-the-clock watch on the situation,noting that outflow volumes will be dynamically adjusted over the coming days depending on changing weather patterns and upstream inflow shifts.Meanwhile, the irrigation department has issued a high-alert safety advisory, urging farmers, fishermen and low-lying riverbank residents to maintain a safe distance from the river, protect their livestock and remain highly cautious as river levels continue to fluctuate.
