Karnataka is located in the Deccan Peninsular region of India and covers an area of 191,791 square km. Water resources of Karnataka primarily constitutes surface and groundwater. Rainfall is the basic source of water in the state
Karnataka is located in the Deccan Peninsular region of India and covers an area of 191,791 square km. Water resources of Karnataka primarily constitutes surface and groundwater. Rainfall is the basic source of water in the state.
Availability of water resources in Karnataka
Surface water is available in Karnataka in the form of rivers, lakes, waterfalls, reservoirs, etc. Karnataka has surface water potential of around 102 km. Being the seventh largest state in India (area-wise), Karnataka possesses about six percent of the country’s total surface water resources of about 17 lakh million cubic metres (Mcum).
Karnataka is blessed with seven river basins. There are 36,753 tanks in the state and they have a capacity of about 684518 hectares. The rivers, along with their tributaries, account for much of Karnataka’s surface water resources. About 60 percent of the state’s surface water is provided by the west flowing rivers while the east flowing rivers account for the remaining portion. The annual average yield in the seven river basins of the state is estimated to be around 3,475 TMC. The yield in the six basins, excluding the west flowing rivers is estimated to be 1,440 TMC.
The seven river basins in Karnataka are:
- West flowing rivers
- North Pennar
- South Pennar
Karnataka has groundwater resources estimated to be around 485 TMC. Ground water resources have not been exploited evenly across the state. In areas where adequate su