Kodagu: Amid heavy rains, district administration imposes ban venturing into rivers, waterfalls
Madikeri: The district administration has imposed a ban on venturing into rivers, waterfalls and going near other water bodies in the midst of intensified rains.
Deputy Commissioner Venkat Raja has issued a precautionary order to prevent the public and tourists from entering water bodies, including waterfalls, streams, rivers, public lakes, dams, and reservoirs, due to the heavy rains across Kodagu district.
Meanwhile, heavy rains are affecting various parts of Kodagu district, causing trees and branches to uproot and fall, and several areas are witnessing persistent power outages.
A huge tree fell near Devarakolli on the Madikeri-Sampaje National Highway, obstructing vehicular traffic. Another tree fell across the highway near Kutta on the Kodagu-Kerala border. The Forest Department, Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Company officials, and local bodies are carrying out operations to clear fallen trees and repair disrupted electricity supply.
ALSO READ: Vijayapura: Bodies of two men fished out of River Krishna, four still missing
This comes in the wake of increasing incidents of accidental deaths of tourists in rivers and waterfalls in recent times.
In the meantime, The water level at the Harangi Reservoir on July 3 stood at 2,842.27 feet, the maximum limit of the reservoir is 2,859 feet. Rainfall at the Harangi Reservoir was recorded at 1.20 mm today, compared to 4.80 mm on the same day last year. Water inflow today was 1,649 cusecs and outflow was 200 cusecs, compared to 30 cusecs on the same day last year.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka sees drop in groundwater use, surge in recharge capacity: 2025 report
_vb_86.jpeg)
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka has recorded a significant decline in groundwater usage alongside a notable increase in annual recharge capacity, reflecting the impact of sustained water conservation efforts and good rainfall, Minister N S Boseraju said on Wednesday.
Releasing the 2025 Groundwater Assessment Report at Vikas Soudha, he said the gains are the result of good rainfall, focused policy interventions, and large-scale water conservation initiatives implemented over the past two years under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
According to the report, overall groundwater extraction has reduced from 68.44 per cent in 2024 to 66.49 per cent in 2025, indicating more responsible and sustainable usage patterns across the state.
At the same time, annual groundwater recharge capacity has increased from 18.74 billion cubic metres (BCM) in 2024 to 19.28 BCM in 2025, while annual extractable groundwater resources rose from 16.88 BCM to 17.41 BCM, the minister’s office said in a statement.
“This simultaneous reduction in usage and increase in recharge reflects our government’s commitment to long-term water sustainability,” the Minor Irrigation, Science and Technology Minister said.
The improvement has been driven largely by the expansion of water conservation structures (WCS) across the state.
Recharge through such structures increased by 29.11 per cent, from 0.81 BCM to 1.04 BCM within a year, the report stated.
Notably, the number of water conservation works has risen sharply from 3.15 lakh in 2024 to 3.94 lakh in 2025, strengthening the state’s groundwater recharge ecosystem.
The report indicates improvement in groundwater status across 11 taluks, with several regions moving to safer categories.
Highlighting these changes, the minister pointed out that Chamarajanagar taluk has improved from "over-exploited" to "critical".
Similarly, taluks including Athani, Channapatna, Molakalmuru, Ranebennur, Savanur, and Shiggaon have successfully transitioned from "semi-critical" to "safe" status.
Domestic groundwater extraction has also declined by 0.58 per cent, dropping from 1,21,731 hectare-metres (ham) in 2024 to 1,21,023 ham in 2025. Officials attribute this to increased reliance on surface water under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
Boseraju said that initiatives such as lake rejuvenation, year-round water supply through treated and surface water, sustained public awareness campaigns, and good rainfall have played a key role in reducing over-extraction and enhancing recharge.
“Instead of depending solely on the 120-day monsoon, we are ensuring water availability throughout all 365 days through scientific management. This has strengthened long-term water security for both farmers and urban residents,” he said.
Announcing a major technological step forward in future governance, the minister added, “To further safeguard our resources, we are rolling out the Digital Water Stack (DWS) initiative. Under this framework, we will soon initiate space technology and AI-based satellite surveillance to obtain real-time data for continuous groundwater monitoring.”
_vb_85.jpeg)
_vb_92.jpeg)
_vb_51.jpeg)