Kumudvathi River Explained

Kumudavathi River
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:India
Subdivision Type2:State
Subdivision Name2:Karnataka
Subdivision Type3:District
Subdivision Name3:Bengaluru Rural
Length:45km (28miles)approx.
Source1:Kumbha Thirtha, Shivagange hills
Source1 Location:Bengaluru Rural, Karnataka, India
Mouth:Arkavathi River
Mouth Location:Thippagondanahalli, Bengaluru Rural, India
Mouth Coordinates:12.975°N 77.3348°W

The Kumudavathi river is a minor river that flows to the north west of the city of Bangalore. 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 at Thippagondanahalli (T.G.Halli) reservoir. The river basin is spread across 460 Sq. km and the entire catchment area encompasses 278 villages.[1]

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.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kumudvathi is Gushing with Water Again. 2020-06-25. 10 November 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110084439/https://www.dsyindia.org/kumudvathi-is-gushing-with-water-again/. dead.
  2. Web site: Kumudvathi, a river on the path to recovery. 2020-06-25.