The Karnataka government has approved a Rs 40 crore Malnad lake filling project to supply water to 26 lakes under Muthinakoppa gram panchayat in Narasimharajapura taluk of Chikkamagaluru district, MLA TD Rajegowda said. The project is expected to support irrigation, drinking water availability and groundwater recharge in the Malnad region.
The lakes will be filled with water from the Bhadra reservoir under the Bhadra Upper Bank project. The work will cover lakes in Muthinakoppa, K Kanaburu, Kusuburu and Madaburu villages, according to the announcement.
Rajegowda said the approval was granted at a board meeting of Vishweshvaraya Jala Nigam Limited, the state agency associated with water resources projects. He has sought the early release of funds and commencement of work from Water Resources Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy.
Once implemented, the project is expected to provide assured irrigation to nearly 1,500 hectares of agricultural land, Rajegowda said. It is also intended to address drinking water shortages in the villages and improve groundwater recharge by retaining water in the local lake network.
The announcement highlights a recurring water-management problem in the Malnad region. Rajegowda said most lakes retain water only until September or December before drying up. During summer, groundwater levels fall sharply, contributing to drinking water shortages for residents and cattle.
The proposed system is designed to transfer water from the Bhadra reservoir to the identified lakes, extending water availability beyond the period when they would ordinarily retain supplies. Rajegowda said the project would help maintain water availability until the next monsoon and improve the local water table.
The project’s proposed irrigation coverage gives it significance beyond the individual lakes. Providing water to nearly 1,500 hectares would link the reservoir-transfer system directly with agricultural production in the Muthinakoppa area. The same infrastructure is also expected to serve domestic water needs, making the project both an irrigation and local drinking-water intervention.
Rajegowda said a proposal has been submitted to take up the work during 2025-26 itself. The next steps are the release of the approved funds and the start of construction and related implementation work. No project completion timeline was specified in the announcement.
