Mangaluru
Dakshina Kannada is facing an escalating drinking water crisis as reservoir levels and river flows decline sharply due to rising temperatures and prolonged dry conditions. Key rivers such as Netravati, Kumaradhara, Phalguni, Shambhavi, and Payaswini have seen their water flow reduce to near standstill levels, intensifying concerns over supply stability in the district.
The situation is particularly severe in reservoirs that supply drinking water to urban and rural areas. In Bantwal taluk, storage levels in the AMR, Thumbe, and Jakribettu reservoirs built across the Netravati river have dropped significantly. At the Thumbe reservoir, which is a major water source for Mangaluru city, the water level fell to just 3.75 metres.
The Jakribettu reservoir currently holds about 8.215 crore cubic feet of water out of its total capacity of 10.21 crore cubic feet. Meanwhile, the Harekala reservoir in Ullal taluk is operating at nearly half its capacity, with 36.50 crore cubic feet of water remaining out of 66 crore cubic feet.
In contrast, the situation at the Malavoor dam on the Phalguni river is far more critical, with only around 3 lakh cubic feet of water left from its 4.40 crore cubic feet capacity. Authorities have closed all outflow gates of major dams in an effort to conserve remaining water stocks.
However, two reservoirs — Biliyooru dam in Bantwal taluk and Soham dam in Moodbidri taluk — remain fully filled for now. Officials warn that continued heat stress and lack of rainfall could further strain drinking water availability in the coming weeks.