Nethravathi River – Water Supply Scheme in Dakshina Kannada District – A Case Study

Water is essential for all living beings. It is a major concern to provide water to all. It is a challenge to supply water to all major cities in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, India. Nethravathi River is one of the major sources of water in the region which yields about 1240TMC per year. Nethravathi River has its origins in Western Ghats of Karnataka flowing to a length of 126 Km and joins Arabian Sea. In Dakshina Kannada district all major cities face water scarcity in summer season even after getting an average annual rainfall of 3.75 – 4.25 m. It is a major challenge to the district administration for providing required water to the people during summer season in spite of plenty of water available during monsoon. This paper highlights in giving solution to this issue after studying various parameters like geographical structure, rainfall data and climate, study of catchment area, storage methods, water demand and water supply schemes available in the region. An attempt has been made to suggest for supplying the water to the cities in Dakshina Kannada district by increasing the storage capacity on the upstream side of the river to get water round the clock.