The Kumudavathi river is a minor river that flows to the north west of the city of
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
. The river has largely dried up but there are ongoing efforts to rejuvenate it.
Course
The river originates at Kumbha Thirtha in
Shivagange hills and flows for 45 km before its confluence with the
Arkavathi river
The Arkavati is an important mountain river in Karnataka, India, originating at Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapura district. It is a tributary of the Kaveri, which it joins at 34 km south of Kanakapura, Ramanagara District called Sangama in ...
at
Thippagondanahalli
Thippagondanahalli Reservoir, also known as T G Halli Dam or Chamarajasagara, is located at the confluence of the Arkavathy and Kumudavathi rivers, west of Bangalore, India. It is used by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board as a ma ...
(T.G.Halli) reservoir. The river basin is spread across 460 Sq. Km and the entire catchment area encompasses 278 villages.
Drying Up and Revival Efforts
Although water flow in the river had been decreasing, it only got attention in 2007 when the Thippagondanahalli reservoir fed by Kumudvathi River went dry. In February 2013, a large team of volunteers from the
Art of Living (AOL) took up a project to rejuvenate the Kumudvathi river by using a scientific methodology. Over the course of the next years, the project built over 439 boulder checks, de-silted over 20 traditional stepwells, constructed 434 recharge wells and 71 water pools, built 45 recharge borewells, planted more than 425,000 saplings, besides spreading awareness to over 75,000 people residing in over 100 villages surrounding the river basin.
References
Rivers of Karnataka
Geography of Bangalore
Rivers of India
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