Cauvery flows for a distance of 475 miles from Coorg hills in Karnataka to Bayof Bengal in southeastward direction. It travels for ~100 miles inside Karnataka. KN constructed an artificial channel of 72 miles inside KN to divert water to more areas. In TN, it travels nearly 320 miles baring Pondicherry. Karnataka built two huge dams namely Krishrajasagar(KRS) and Kabini for 100 miles whereas TN has a major reservoir in Mettur and a comparatively smaller but ancient Grand Anicut(Kallanai - built ny Karikalachola 1700 years ago) for 320 mile lengthy river.
Water is stored in KRS and Kabini reservoirs in full throughout the year and release less quantity than the allocated share. Whenever there is heavy rainfall in water catchment area (i.e.Western ghats), excess water is suddenly released flooding the whole heavily cultivated plains of TN forcing people to live in distress. Karnataka uses TN just as the drainage channel to let excess water.
Now readers can tell us who is acting as the big brother and who suffers?.
RE:RE:Drainage channel?
by uttam rao on Apr 05, 2008 07:01 PM Permalink
With or without KN building those dams, lower areas in TN are floodplains and will get affected irrespective of whether a dam is there or not. A geologist must have known this for sure!
RE:Drainage channel?
by ennamo po on Apr 05, 2008 07:08 PM Permalink
Storing water in a dam for long and releasing at once during heavy rainfall is what she meant. YOu don't need to be a geologist for understanding this, if you have least brain..
RE:Drainage channel?
by saigeetha jagannathan on Apr 05, 2008 07:10 PM Permalink
I agree with you Mr. Uttam Rao to some extent. In case, KRS and Kabini are not constructed, water would flow with almost constant velocity over the plains of TN but if it released all of a sudden from these reservoirs during rain (to avoid flooding in KN) more than the capacity of Mettur reservoir, then you can imagine the amount of destruction unleashed in the plains.
RE:Drainage channel?
by saigeetha jagannathan on Apr 05, 2008 07:16 PM Permalink
Water flowing in constant velocity (even during full flow) cause less destruction that flowing in higher and varying velocity.
RE:Drainage channel?
by saigeetha jagannathan on Apr 05, 2008 08:09 PM Permalink
Nature's floods cannot be avoided but human induced flood can be avoided. are you happy in forcing artificial floods in TN. Mr. Rao.
RE:RE:Drainage channel?
by uttam rao on Apr 05, 2008 11:52 PM Permalink
Madam, you should look at stats for that: # of floods before dam was constructed and # that happened after. Give your opinion after that. You will know the truth yourself. It is not as if there are no floods in KN. Nobody is free of nature's fury. If KN just causes floods in TN deliberately without suffering itself, your argument would have been justified.
RE:Drainage channel?
by saigeetha jagannathan on Apr 06, 2008 10:30 AM Permalink
Certainly, nature's fury cannot be stopped but you can stop artificial floods by more disaster management. Remember the Cauvery plains are flooded during the South west monsoon(June-August) which brings heavy rain to the western India whereas the northeast monsoon starts only after August. And also these cyclones bring good rainfall to TN coasts but never cause excessive floods as 95% of them cross the continents between central Andhra and southern Orissa. So floods in AP and orissa are caused by cyclones and certainly not the floods of TN. Even the central cauvery plains are heavily flooded during south west monsoon. Thats because of the sudden flow of excess water from KN dams.
