Upper Bhadra Project: Trial run to Chitradurga branch canal begins

The trial release of water from the Bhadra reservoir into the Chitradurga Branch Canal, under the Upper Bhadra Project, began on Sunday (September 6, 2026) — a moment elected representatives described as historic given a decades-long struggle of people of Chitradurga district.

Three TMC of water is being released as part of the trial run, launched at the project’s intake point on the Bhadra reservoir. The larger project is designed to supply water to 12 taluks across four districts — Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Chikkamagaluru and Davanagere.

Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare and Chitradurga district in-charge Minister, who visited the reservoir to witness the occasion, said the fruition of the project, after a struggle spanning six to seven decades, was a matter of great satisfaction. 

He paid tribute to the individuals, associations and farmers’ groups who had campaigned for the project over the decades — several of whom, he said, were no longer alive to see it realised — and thanked successive Chief Ministers, from S.M. Krishna to incumbent Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, along with former Chief Ministers and district in-charge Ministers, for advancing the project.

Under the project, 17.4 TMC of water is lifted from the Tunga river into the Bhadra reservoir, and a further 12.5 TMC is drawn from the reservoir itself — together making up the 29.9 TMC that is lifted to the tunnel near Ajjampura. From there, the water is distributed through the Chitradurga Branch Canal and the Tumakuru Branch Canal.

The project envisages filling 367 tanks and providing drip irrigation to 2.25 lakh hectares. However, since the drip irrigation infrastructure and the tank-filling works are yet to be completed, the release has for now been restricted to 3 TMC on a trial basis. Mr. Raghumurthy said the arrangement would become permanent once the pending works were finished, and appealed to the public to cooperate without creating confusion until then.

MLAs K. Veerendra Pappi (Chitradurga), M. Chandranna (Holalkere), T.B. Jayachandra (Sira, and a former Minister), G.H. Srinivas (Tarikere) and B.G. Govindappa (Hosadurga), along with other elected representatives and officials, were present.