The Bedti-Varada project of Karnataka government is
facing Criticism
The Karnataka government is currently facing criticism from environmentalists for the proposed 'Bedti-Varada River linking project'. The Bedati-Varada River linking
project will seek to pump about 524 million cubic meters of water from Sirsi in Uttara Kannada to the arid regions of Raichur and Koppal districts.
It has faced stiff opposition from local activists, who say the project will destroy 2,125 acres of forests in
ecologically sensitive parts of the Western Ghats. The Varada River is a tributary of the Tungabhadra River in central Karnataka.
Bedti-Varada Project
The Bedati-Varada project was envisaged in the year 1992 for the supply of drinking water.
The objective of this project is to join the Bedti, a river flowing west towards the Arabian Sea to Varada River a tributary of Tungabhadra River, which joins the Krishna River and drains into the Bay of Bengal. A huge dam will be built at Hirewadti in Gadag district. A second dam will be built on the Pattanahalla River at Menasagoda in Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district.
Both the dams will carry water through tunnels to Varada. The water will reach Kengre and then up to Hakkalumane will flow down the tunnel for a distance of 6.88 km, where it will join the Varada.Thus, the project envisages carrying water from Sirsi-Yelapura
region of Uttara Kannada district to arid regions of Raichur, Gadag and Koppal districts.
A total of 302 million cubic meters of water will be drawn from the Pattanahalla and Shallalhalla tributaries of the Bedti and Varada Rivers, while 222 million cubic meters will be diverted from the Suremane barrage against the Bedti River. The project would require 61 MW of electricity to drawwater up to Gadag. Even after this,it is not known whether the water will reach Gadag or not