Karnataka dam water meant for hydroelectricity released for Guv to see waterfall

Shivamogga: The Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) officials purportedly released about 500 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from the Linganamakki Dam so that Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot could see the Jog Falls in full glory.

While the water which was released from the dam was meant for power generation, the Governor left the area before the excess water could reach the waterfall.

The 500 cusecs of water that was allowed to flow from the dam for four hours on Thursday, would have otherwise yielded 2,000 units of power.

In June 2021, Minister CP Yogeshwar had announced that 200 cusecs of water will be released from Linganmakki dam to Jog Falls in Shivamogga district for making the falls perennial. The environmentalists opposed the decision and said that it will destabilise the entire region and trigger landslides in the fragile ecosystem.