Hydel storage
Context
Hydel storage second-lowest in last 10 years.
- Karnataka’s cumulative hydel storage hit a 10-year low in early July, with reservoirs like Lingamakki at just 10.92% capacity.
- Overall, the state’s major hydel dams (Supa and Mani) held a mere 14.9% of their capacity, down from 44.05% during the corresponding period the previous year.
Reservoir Breakdowns
- Linganamakki Dam: Holding just 92% of its capacity, down from 45.4% last year.
- Supa and Mani Dams: Also reporting critically low levels that severely impact state power generation capabilities.
- Broader Impact: The crisis extends beyond power, with the Cauvery and Krishna river basins experiencing massive water deficits, impacting agricultural sowing and drinking water supplies
Linganamakki Dam
- Located in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district, across west flowing sharavathi river
- Constructed in 1964, it serves as the primary reservoir for the Sharavathi Valley Hydroelectric Project, powering a major portion of the state’s electricity.
- River System: Sharavathi River, which originates in the Western Ghats and flows entirely within Karnataka before draining into the Arabian Sea.
- Key Purpose: Primarily for hydroelectric power generation; the dam feeds key power stations like the Mahatma Gandhi Hydro Electric Power unit and the Gerusoppa powerhouse
- Geography: Located near the famous Jog Falls. Honnemaradu is a well-known island located within the Linganamakki reservoir.
- Water Source: Primarily receives water from the southwest monsoon, supplemented by diversions from the Chakra and Savahaklu reservoirs
- Environmental Context: The project’s massive submersion of forest and wetland area in the Western Ghats frequently makes headlines due to ongoing proposals to divert water from here to other parched regions, which faces pushback from local environmentalists concerned about ecological damage.
‘Free Bird’
Context
The Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara has officially launched “Free Bird,” a premium ready-made apparel brand handcrafted by prison inmates.
- Operating under the Karnataka Prison Livelihood & Rehabilitation Initiative, this program equips inmates with highly marketable vocational skills to ease their transition back into mainstream society.
Features
- Product: The brand debuted with a line of premium, ready-made linen shirts.
- Raw Materials: The high-quality linen is sourced from Surat.
- Brand Logo: Each piece features the Gandaberunda, the official state emblem of Karnataka, as its insignia.
- Training Partner: Inmates received professional garment-stitching training from HCL, a Delhi-based company.
- Initial Demand: The entire debut batch of apparel was purchased by prison staff within minutes of the launch.
Future Expansion Plans
The initiative intends to transform correctional facilities into spaces of learning and commercial productivity. Moving forward, the Karnataka Prison Department plans to expand operations:
- Mobile Sales Vans: Deploying a fleet of vans across selected locations in Bengaluru to sell the products to the public.
- Bakery Line: Introducing a line of inmate-baked goods to the open market under a separate MoU with HCL.
Drinking water scarcity
Context
Karnataka’s Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Department has identified 1,119 villages across the state as vulnerable to drinking water scarcity due to a severe monsoon deficit.
- Driven by a strong El Niño effect, the state faced a delayed southwest monsoon, resulting in a 28% rainfall deficit in early June.
Geographic Distribution of the Crisis
- Most Vulnerable District: Bidar tops the risk profile with 93 villages across 65 gram panchayats flagged for imminent shortages.
- High-Risk Zones: Bengaluru South and Shivamogga follow closely behind Bidar in vulnerability.
- Urban Impact: 22 problematic areas within Bengaluru Urban have been included in the scarcity list.
- Least Vulnerable Areas: Vijayapura, Kodagu, and Gadag report the lowest vulnerability, though specific pockets still require targeted intervention.
State Mitigation and Contingency Plan
The government has engineered a village-wise contingency plan designed to sustain drinking water supply through September, when monsoon progression is expected to recharge water tables:
- Financial Allocation: The State government has sanctioned ₹117 crore specifically for water scarcity mitigation.
- Borewell Network: The state is hiring 978 private borewells to directly supply water to 838 struggling villages. Rental rates are capped between ₹10,000 and ₹15,000 per month depending on local water yields.
- Tanker Deployment: A fleet of 254 private tankers and 35 departmental tankers has been activated to deliver emergency water to areas without stable groundwater sources.