Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday inaugurated the first phase of the ambitious Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project at Hebbanahalli in Sakleshapur taluk. The Yettinahole project was initially approved by the Karnataka government in 2014 with a revised project report estimating costs at Rs 12,912.36 crore.
The CM was accompanied by Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. "This is a very important programme in the history of Karnataka after the Almatti dam," remarked Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who also serves as the Water Resources Minister.
What Is Yettinahole project?
The Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project, with an estimated cost of Rs 23,251.66 crore, aims to address the drinking water scarcity in several drought-prone regions of the state. Planned to be completed by March 31, 2027, the Yettinahole Project will provide drinking water to 6,657 villages across 27 taluks and 56 assembly segments, as per a report on PTI. It also aims to fill more than 247 taluk tanks.
The project is designed to divert 24.01 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water from west-flowing streams during the monsoon, specifically targeting the drought-prone districts of Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Hassan, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Ramanagar, and Bangalore Rural. The water will be lifted from streams in the Western Ghats, including Yettinahole, Kadumane Hole, Keri Hole, and Hongada Halla, to help alleviate severe drinking water shortages in other regions.
In the second phase, expected to be completed by 2027, key infrastructure projects will be undertaken. This includes constructing a gravity canal along the entire length of the project, building the Bhairagondlu balancing reservoir in Koratagere taluk, Tumkur district, and constructing the Kolar and Srinivaspur feeders.
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