HASSAN: The ambitious Yettinahole integrated drinking water project in Karnataka, aimed at supplying water to drought-prone areas across 28 taluks in seven districts, is facing a major setback due to delays in obtaining forest clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The project, which plans to lift 24.01 TMC of water from west-flowing streams in the Western Ghats to benefit around 75 lakh people, has already completed the Stage 1 water lifting works and is nearing completion of the gravity canal. However, the second phase, which involves diverting water through forest land, has stalled as the ministry has yet to approve the acquisition.
Sources said the project allegedly encroached on forest land without prior clearance. The main canal near Salagame village in Hassan constituency has been halted because land acquisition for three kilometres of forest area is pending. Although the district administration has earmarked 410 acres for afforestation as compensation, the ministry has reportedly returned the file twice with 11 conditions that must be fulfilled before approval.
The project was first approved in 2014 by then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, with an estimated cost of Rs 12,000 crore. The estimate has been revised multiple times and now stands at over Rs 23,251 crore, with around Rs 17,147 crore already spent. The project was originally scheduled for completion by July 2026 but is now expected to finish by 2027.
The project has faced criticism from opposition parties, including former Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who questioned its scientific feasibility. With the clearance for the second phase still pending, the state government faces a key challenge in meeting its target to provide drinking water to drought-affected regions.