Upper Bhadra Project: Trial run to Chitradurga branch canal begins
The Upper Bhadra Project has initiated a trial water release into the Chitradurga Branch Canal, marking a significant milestone for a project decades in the making. The initiative aims to provide irrigation and water security to four districts in Karnataka, though full-scale operations await the completion of drip irrigation infrastructure.
Why it matters
This project is a major infrastructure development intended to address long-standing water scarcity issues for farmers and residents in drought-prone regions of Karnataka.
The trial release of water from the Bhadra reservoir into the Chitradurga Branch Canal, under the Upper Bhadra Project, began on Sunday (September 6, 2026) — a moment elected representatives described as historic given a decades-long struggle of people of Chitradurga district.
Three TMC of water is being released as part of the trial run, launched at the project’s intake point on the Bhadra reservoir. The larger project is designed to supply water to 12 taluks across four districts — Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Chikkamagaluru and Davanagere.
Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare and Chitradurga district in-charge Minister, who visited the reservoir to witness the occasion, said the fruition of the project, after a struggle spanning six to seven decades, was a matter of great satisfaction.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in