BENGALURU: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has joined hands with International Association for Human Values (IAHV), a sister organisation of the Art of Living, to rejuvenate the Kumudvathi river, a tributary of the Arkavathi river that originates from Shivagange hills in Nelamangala taluk.
“We decided to adopt this Tavarekere mini-water shed and provide a life line to the river that catered to 30 per cent of Bengaluru’s water needs in the past,” said V M Chamola, director, human resources, HAL, at a programme at Adihosahalli, around 70 km from Bengaluru. Revival of dried up natural water resources is the key objective of this initiative, he added.
There are 18 mini water sheds planned over the whole river basin, which has been declared as ‘over-exploited’ and ‘no borewell zone’.
The HAL project, covering a radius of around 26 km, has ensured construction of boulder checks, recharging of wells and borewells, building of five-metre deep water pools and planting of 5,000 saplings. The river basin is spread over 460 sq km and has 278 villages in the catchment area. The river was providing water to the TG Halli reservoir.