Several wild elephant attacks reported in Kodagu; plantations, vehicles damaged
Madikeri: Amid heavy rains, elephant attacks have been reported across several parts of the district, affecting daily lives of the people here. Elephants are reportedly entering the rural areas in herds and damaging plantations and vehicles.
The herd of tuskers are roaming across the forest and plantations in search of food. People have reported incidents where Elephants suddenly appear on main roads attacking vehicles. Devayya, a resident of Naladi village, whose auto rickshaw was parked near his house was mangled during the tusker movement at night.
In Cheyandane village, plantations of Harish and Sajan were damaged, the tusker herd reportedly destroyed coffee, coconut and betel nut plantations. According to locals, deforestation took place at a larger scale in the Cheyandane area.
In another such incident, the herd entered the banana plantations of Raghukumar of Attur Village in Suntikoppa, destroying the whole crop. The herd which had come in search of food completely razed the banana plantation.
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Locals claimed that despite efforts from the forest department, elephants continue to destroy plantations. Elephants which disappear during the day reappear in the plantations during the night. Locals have also reported elephant sightings on the Suntikoppa, Anekadu, and Kushalnagar highways, forcing motorists to proceed with caution.
Meanwhile, Farmers have expressed concern that if the government does not implement a permanent plan to prevent elephant attacks, the agriculture sector in the district may suffer a significant blow. Additionally, they have also demanded that the forest minister and forest officials not just hold meetings but initiate action and understand the seriousness of the problem.
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Karnataka sees drop in groundwater use, surge in recharge capacity: 2025 report
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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.”
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