Yettinahole project: Green activists accuse Karnataka government of ignoring potential natural and environment risks

Green activists criticize Karnataka government for inaugurating Yettinahole water project despite concerns about water availability and environmental impact.

Despite voices from Chickballapur and other arid regions questioning availablity of water from Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Supply Project, the Karnataka government inaugurated the first stage only to meet the political interest of leaders, alleged green activists of Mangaluru region on Friday (September 6, 2024).

Shashidhar Shetty, convener of the National Environment Care Foundation (NECF), Mangaluru, said that people from Chickballapur and other arid regions have been voicing that the project does not meet their drinking water requirements.

A report titled ‘Environment Flow Assessment in Yettinahole — Where is 24 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) (of water) to Divert’ by Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning of the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, headed by T.V. Ramachandra, mentioned that the actual water yield in the catchment will be 9.55 TMC. This is in stark contrast to the 24 TMC yield shown in project DPR and also stated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on September 6, 2024.

“People of the arid region are not hopeful of getting water. But the government inaugurated the project just to divert attention of people from the scams involving ministers, and show that the first stage is a big success,” said Mr. Shetty, who is among the activists who fought against the project as it damaged the ecology of Western Ghats and affected Netravathi river, the lifeline of Dakshina Kannada.

While the initial cost estimate for the project was ₹8,000 crore, after 15 years it has now escalated to ₹23,000 crore. The Central Water Commission stated in 2012 that the project does not yield 24 TMC. The National Institute of Hydrology had also questioned the yield mentioned in the DPR and asked the State Government to have a relook at the project, Mr. Shetty said.

Artist Dinesh Holla, the convenor of Sahyadri Sanchaya, said the vibration resulting from the recent test flow of water in the massive pipeline disturbed the contours, which resulted in a landslide in Hassan district during the recent heavy rainfall. “When a test flow of water has had such an effect, imagine the damage to the region from regular flow of water,” Mr. Holla said.

It is to meet the shortage of water from this project that the Government has planned to divert Sharavati River water from Shivamogga, which will be another potential threat to the Western Ghat ecology and its unique water-bearing ‘Shola’ forest, said Mr. Holla, an avid trekker.