Karnataka’s rivers are showing disturbing signs of environmental distress as the number of monitoring stations reporting dangerously poor water quality has doubled in just five years. According to recent data from state pollution authorities, the degradation is primarily linked to widespread and unchecked sewage discharge, spotlighting severe governance gaps in water management.
Under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP), Karnataka now has 20 river stations listed under Class D, a sharp rise from just 10 in 2019–20. Class D indicates water unfit for drinking or domestic use unless subjected to extensive physical and chemical treatment followed by disinfection. In parallel, the number of Class C stations—where water is still recoverable with moderate treatment—has dropped from 77 to 59, reflecting a broad-based decline in overall river health.
State environment officials confirm the deteriorating trend is driven by rampant discharge of untreated sewage from urban and rural settlements into river systems. Despite being capable of self-purification, rivers across the state—especially the Krishna, Cauvery, Godavari, North and South Pennar, Palar, and the West Flowing Rivers—are struggling to cope with the volume and toxicity of pollutants entering their course daily.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) operates a network of 325 monitoring points, including 100 river stations, to track water quality. The doubling of Class D stations within this network not only signals systemic failure in sewage treatment and disposal but also raises significant public health and ecological red flags. Experts warn that declining river quality has the potential to affect drinking water security, agriculture, aquatic biodiversity, and even long-term urban resilience.
A Bengaluru-based hydrologist pointed out that river water quality can rebound relatively quickly if the inflow of untreated waste is curtailed. “Rivers are naturally regenerative ecosystems,” the expert said, “but what we are seeing is not a failure of nature, it’s a failure of intervention. A strong policy push towards decentralised sewage treatment is critical.”Currently, the KSPCB allows the discharge of treated industrial effluents into rivers at only three identified locations: the Bhadra River near Bhadravathi, Tungabhadra River near Harihar, and the Kali River near Bangur Nagar in Dandeli. However, environmentalists argue that this limited regulatory coverage does not match the scale of pollution sources and enforcement remains weak.
The situation raises difficult questions for urban planners and policy makers. With Karnataka’s urban sprawl expanding and industrial clusters growing rapidly, the demand on freshwater ecosystems is outpacing the capacity to manage waste sustainably. Despite policy recognition of rivers as national assets, the lack of meaningful on-ground action continues to erode public trust and environmental health.
While rivers are easier to rejuvenate than static water bodies such as lakes, the window for effective action is narrowing. Unless urgent steps are taken to reduce pollution at the source, Karnataka risks long-term damage to its riverine ecosystems—resources that are central to sustainable growth, equitable development, and climate resilience.
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