Foreword

Groundwater is an essential component of the environment and economy. It sustains

the flow in our rivers and plays an important role in maintaining the fragile
ecosystems. The groundwater dependence of agrarian states like Karnataka is high.
Recent studies indicate that 26 percent of the area of Karnataka State is under over
exploited category and number of blocks is under critical category. In view of the
growing concerns of sustainability of ground water sources, immediate attention is
required to augment groundwater resources in stressed areas. Irrigated agriculture in
the state is putting additional stress on the groundwater system and needs proper
management of the resources.

Central Ground Water Board is providing all technical input for effective management
of ground water resources in the state. The groundwater scenario compiled on
administrative divisions gives a better perspective for planning various ground water
management measures by local administrative bodies. With this objective, Central
Ground Water Board is publishing the revised groundwater information booklet for all
the districts of the state.

I do appreciate the efforts of Dr. K.Md.Najeeb, Regional Director and his fleet of
dedicated Scientists of South Western Region, Bangalore for bringing out this
booklet. I am sure these brochures will provide a portrait of the groundwater
resources in each district for planning effective management measures by the
administrators, planners and the stake holders.

Dr. S. C. Dhiman

2
 PREFACE

Ground water contributes to about eighty percent of the drinking water

requirements in the rural areas, fifty percent of the urban water requirements
and more than fifty percent of the irrigation requirements of the nation. Central
Ground Water Board has decided to bring out district level ground water
information booklets highlighting the ground water scenario, its resource
potential, quality aspects, recharge – discharge relationship, vulnerability area
etc., for all the districts of the country. As part of this, Central Ground Water
Board, South Western Region, Bangalore, is preparing such booklets for all
the 30 districts of Karnataka state, incorporating the data up to the period
2011-12.

The Dakshina Kannada district Ground Water Information Booklet has been
prepared based on the information available and data collected from various
state and central government organisations by several hydro-scientists of
Central Ground Water Board with utmost care and dedication. This booklet
has been prepared by Mr. N.Vinayachandran, Scientist-C, under the guidance
of Shri.B.K.Kallapur, Scientist-D, Central Ground Water Board, South Western
Region, Bangalore. The figures were prepared by Sri. J. Sivaramakrishnan,
Assistant Hydrogeologist. The rainfall data provided by Shri H.P.Jayaprakash
Scientist-C.The efforts of Report processing section in finalising and bringing
out the report in this format are commendable.
I take this opportunity to congratulate them for the diligent and careful
compilation and observation in the form of this booklet, which will certainly
serve as a guiding document for further work and help the planners,
administrators, academicians, hydrogeologists and engineers to plan and
manage the water resources in a better way in the district.

(K.Md.Najeeb)
Regional Director

3
 GROUND WATER INFORMATION BOOKLET
DAKSHINA KANNADA DISTRICT
KARNATAKA

DISTRICT AT A GLANCE

Sl.
No. Items Statistics
1 GENERAL INFORMATION
i). Geographical area ( sq. km) 4770

ii). Administrative division ( As on 1.1.2007)

Number of Tehsils 5 - Bantwal, Belthangady,
Mangalore, Puttur and
Sulya
Number of Panchayaths 203
iii). Population (as per 2001 census) Tota l: 2083625
Male :1032577
Female:1051048
iv). Average annual Rainfall (mm) 3789.9 (Av. 30 years:
1971-2000)
2 GEOMORPHOLOGY
i). Major physiographic units 3 Nos
a). Coastal Plain
b). Western Ghat Region
c). Upland Pediplain area
ii). Major Drainages
Netravathi, Gurpur,
Kumaradhara, Payaswini
and Shambhavi
3 LAND USE (sq. km.)
a). Forest area 1284.76
b). Net area sown 1308.33
c). Net area irrigated 703.87
4 MAJOR SOIL TYPES Lateritic soil
5 AREA UNDER PRINCIPAL CROPS (As on
1.1.07)(in Ha.)
Paddy 55372
Areca nut 27645
Coconut 16106
Cashew nut 30957
Vegetables 1697
Rubber 10392

4
6 IRRIGATION BY DIFFERENT SOURCES
(Area in ha / number of structures)
Dugwells 40501
Tube / bore wells 9202
Tanks / ponds nil
Canals nil
Other sources 18146
Net irrigated area 70387
7 NUMBERS OF GROUND WATER
MONITORING WELLS OF CGWB (As on 49 (dugwells)
31.3.2012 ) 08 (pz)
8 PREDOMINANT GEOLOGICAL Gneiss, Schist & Granite
FORMATIONS and alluvium
9 HYDROGEOLOGY
• Major water bearing formations Weathered & fractured
Gneiss, Schist & Granite
and alluvium
• Pre-monsoon Depth to water level 4.12 – 15.2 mbgl
during 2011,
• Post-monsoon Depth to water level 0.75 – 8.65 mbgl
during 2011,
• Long term water level trend in 10 58% of the wells show a
years (2001-2010 in m/yr) rise in water level ranging
from 0.014 m to 0.12 m,
whereas, the remaining
wells (42%) show a fall in
the range of 0.01m to 0.19
m.
10 GROUND WATER EXPLORATION BY
CGWB (As on 31.3.2012)
• Total No of wells drilled
EW and OW 29 & 10
• Depth Range (m) 16 – 256.61
• Discharge (Lps) Negligible – 19.9
2
Transmissivity (m / day) 1 – 476
11 GROUND WATER QUALITY
• Presence of chemical constituents
more than permissible limit) Nitrate 140ppm (Tokkuru)
• Type of water Ca - Mg bicarbonate to Na
Chloride
12 DYNAMIC GROUND WATER
RESOURCES in MCM
• Net Annual Groundwater available 312.79
• Gross annual GW draft 206.45
• Projected demand for domestic and 46.25
industrial uses upto 2025
• Stage of GW development 66 %

5
13 AWARENESS AND TRAINING
ACTIVITIES
• Mass Awareness Programme 1
Organised
Date 22.12.1999
Place Mangalore
No. of participants 200
Water Management Programmes Nil
Organised
14 EFFORTS OF ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE &
RAINWATER HARVESTING
• Projects completed by CGWB Nil
(No. & Amount spent)
• Projects under the technical Nil
guidance of CGWB(numbers)

15 GROUND WATER CONTROL AND

REGULATION
• No of OE Blocks 40% of the area of
Bantwal and 20% of
Mangalore and Puttur
taluks.
• Critical Blocks NIL
• Semi-critical Blocks Parts of Sullya (60%),
Bentwal(40%), Mangalore
(30%), Belthangadi (10%)
and Puttur (10%) taluks
• No of Blocks notified Nil
16 MAJOR GROUND WATER PROBLEMS Flood and coastal erosion;
AND ISSUES Saline water intrusion
along the rivers, water
level decline in different
isolated area of small
aerial extent and
possibility of water logging
in some isolated patches.

6
 DAKSHINA KANNADA DISTRICT

1.0 Introduction
Dakshina Kannada is a maritime district located in the south-western
part of Karnataka adjoining the Arabian Sea. The geographical area is 4770
sq. km extending from 12˚,30’,00’’ & 13˚,11’,00’’ north latitudes and
74˚,35’,00’’ & 75˚,33’,30’’ east longitudes. Mangalore town is the district
headquarters. Administratively, the district is divided into five taluks viz.
Bantwal, Belthangady, Mangalore, Puttur and Sulya (Fig.1). Population of the
district (2001 census) is 18 96,403 of which 11, 67, 958 is rural and 7,28,448
is urban. The district is drained by Netravathi, Gurupur, Mulki, Kumaradhara,
Payasvini and and Shambhavi rivers which originate in the Western Ghats
and flow westwards to join the Arabian Sea(Fig.2).
Agriculture is the main activity of the people in the district. The net
sown area comprises 28% of the total geographical area. Major crops are
paddy, areca nut, coconut, cashew nut, rubber and vegetables. About 57% of
the net sown area is irrigated by different sources. Groundwater irrigates
about 75% of the irrigated area and the remaining is by surface water
sources.
Central Ground Water Board has carried out Systematic
Hydrogeological Survey during 1983-84, Reappraisal Hydrogeological Survey
and Ground water Exploration in the district during 1989-90. Under
exploration programme 26 exploratory wells and 8 observation wells were
drilled during the period between 1987 and 1991. Under Hydrology Project 8
piezometers were drilled for observing the water levels.
2.0 Rainfall
The average annual rainfall of the district is 3789.9 mm and is received
mainly during the southwest monsoon season extending from June to
September. About 85% of the annual rainfall occurs during the monsoon
months. Post - monsoon season yields about 8% and the balance of annual
rainfall from December to March. This district on the West Coast of India
experiences a typical maritime climate. The district is marked by heavy
rainfall, high humidity and oppressive weather in hot season. Generally, the
weather is hot and humid throughout the year. In the eastern part of the
district i.e., along the Western Ghats, the weather is comparatively cooler than
in the western coastal areas. In the district, all the taluk headquarters are
having I.M.D. Raingauge stations. Statistical analysis of rainfall data for the
period 1971 to 2000 are presented in the table given below.

Table 1. Statistical Analysis, Seasonal and Annual Rainfall, Dakshin Kannada district
Station Mean Std. Coef. Mean Std. Coef. Mean Std. Coef Mean Std. Coef.
mm Dev. Var. mm Dev. Var. Mm Dev. .Var. mm Dev. Var.
mm % mm % mm % mm %
Mar – May Jun – Sep Oct – Dec Annual
Bantwal 191.5 140.6 73.4 3358.3 675.5 20.1 292.1 116.5 39.9 3843.0 678.0 17.6
Belthangadi 234.7 223.8 95.4 3859.4 671.9 17.4 365.4 177.2 48.5 4470.2 653.6 14.6
Mangalore 191.8 165.0 86.0 3168.7 722.0 22.8 299.1 137.8 46.1 3661.4 737.3 20.1
Puttur 204.6 121.6 59.4 3338.9 653.3 19.6 372.6 127.1 34.1 3920.7 671.0 17.1
Sulya 227.5 120.9 53.1 3185.2 580.4 18.2 370.5 113.2 30.6 3790.0 590.2 15.6

7
8
9
3.0 Geomorphology and Soil Types.

3.1 Geomorphology:
Geomorphologically Dakshina Kannada District can be divided broadly
into three well-defined physiographic units viz. i) Coastal plain ii) Upland
pediplain area iii) Eastern hilly area forming part of the Western Ghats
The Coastal plain is a narrow, thickly populated and intensely
cultivated area adjoining the coast. There is considerable extent of barren
land along the coast partly because it is sandy, rocky, and marshy. The area
near sea is covered with coconut gardens.
The Upland pediplain area interspersed with low hills between the
Western Ghats and the coast, which is moderately cultivated with a
considerable extent of fallow land, which can be put to agricultural use.
The Eastern hilly area in the eastern part of the district is hilly with thick
forest cover, which forms part of the Western Ghats. The hills of the area
range in elevation from 1200 to 1500m a.m.s.l. and are capped with laterite,
which form plateau usually of oval or elongated configuration. The hill ranges
are dissected by numerous streams and rivulets. The prominent peaks in the
area are Balihalli (1240m), Amadikul betta (1298m) Attiberi Gudda (1522m),
Banganabagile Gudda (1513m) etc.

3.2. Soil:
The soil in the district is mostly lateritic type, found distributed in the
Pediplain area characterised by high iron and aluminium content. Lateritic soil
is mostly red in color and yellow loamy, pale to bright red colours are also
seen. Lateritic soil is suitable for Paddy, Sugarcane, Arecanut and Plantation
crops, viz. crops like Cardamom & plantains. Loamy red soils are distributed
in the lower reaches of valleys. Red lateritic soil is the most dominant soil
type in the area. The texture of the soil varies from fine to coarse. The soil in
valleys and intermediate slopes is rich in loam whereas in upper slopes it is
much coarse in nature. The soil responds well to irrigation and other soil -
management practices. Silty and loamy soils are of transported origin and are
found mostly along river banks and in valley plains. They have good
infiltration capacity and are well-suited for agriculture due to their fertility.

3.3 Surface water:

There are no major or medium irrigation projects in the district. One
vented-dam has been built across the river Netravati at Tumbe near
Mangalore, to cater to the drinking water need of the town. MI tanks, LI
schemes and temporary Mudkattas are the other types of surface water
utility structures.

3.3.1 Spring: Seasonal and perennial springs are located in the foothills of
hillocks and forests in the district. Thermal spring which is of very rare
occurrence in south India has been found in the district. It is called as
‘Bendru Teertha” and located at Irde on Puttur-Panaje road at a distance of 13
km from Puttur. The rock formations exposed in and around the spring are
gneisses traversed by veins of quartz and pegmatite on the southern banks of
Badantadka river. The temperature of water varied from 35 oC to 38 oC. In the
centre of the spring the temperature varies from 37 oC to 38oC. The chemical

10
analysis data of spring water shows T.D.S. of 424 ppm, SiO2, 80.0 ppm, Cl 60
ppm, HCO3 196 ppm, Mg 21 ppm, SO4 61 ppm, CaCO3 121 ppm, Na 81 ppm,
K 7.0 ppm and pH 8.2.

4.0 Groundwater Scenario.

4.1 Hydrogeology:
Weathered and fractured gneiss, granite and schist are the major water
bearing formations. Alluvial formation of limited thickness and aerial extent is
found along the courses of major rivers. Groundwater occurs under phreatic
(water table) condition in weathered zones of gneiss, schist and granite and
under semi-confined to confined conditions in joints and fractures of these
rocks at deeper levels. Weathered and fractured gneiss is the predominant
aquifer found in the district followed by schistose and granitic aquifers, which
occur as isolated patches in some taluks. The hydrogeology of the district is
shown in figure 3.

The depth to water level during pre-monsoon ( May 2011) ranges from
4.12 mbgl to 15.2 mbgl (Fig.4). During post-monsoon (Nov 2011) it ranges
from 0.75 mbgl to 8.65 mbgl (Fig.5). The seasonal fluctuation data shows that
36.5% of the wells show rise while, 63.5% of the wells show a fall in water
level. The rise in water level ranges from 0.15 m to 16.0 m while, the fall
ranges from 0.65 m to 4.62 m. Analysis of the long-term water level trend in
the last 10 years (2001-2010) reveals that 58% of the wells show a rise in
water level ranging from 0.014 m to 0.12 m, whereas, the remaining wells
(42%) show a fall in the range of 0.01m to 0.19 m.

The groundwater fluctuation between decadal mean(May2001-2010)

and water level in May 2011 shows rise in water level in about 60% of the
area with water level rise in the range of 0.088 to 3.986m and fall in the range
of 0.031 to 1.68m(fig.6). The groundwater fluctuation between decadal
mean(Nov.2001-2010) and water level in Nov. 2011 shows rise in water level
in about 90% of the area with water level rise in the range of 0.217 to 3.389m
and fall in the range of 0.371 to 0.653 (fig.7).

Borewells drilled under Groundwater Exploration Programme of CGWB

ranged up to 200m and the location map of exploratory wells is shown in
figure 8.These wells have yielded from less than an lps to 19.9 lps. Though
the Transmissivity ranged from 3 to 476 m2/day, it generally ranges from 3 to
20 m2/day. Good yield can be encountered by scientifically pin-pointing the
borewell site.

11
 Fig:3

12
 Fig:4

13
 Fig:5

14
 Fig:6

15
 Fig:7

16
 Fig:8

17
 Groundwater Vulnerability area
Groundwater being a dynamic resource, getting recharged annually, primarily
from the rainfall, is vulnerable to various developmental activities and is prone
to deterioration in quality and quantity. The vulnerability is high in certain
areas while in other areas it is comparatively stable. Based on it’s
susceptibility to various stress factors the district wise vulnerability map is
prepared on a regional scale considering the following factors viz.
1. Area under high stage of ground water development falling in over
exploited (generally with stage of development more than100%) and critical
(generally stage of development within 85-100%) category as on March 2009.
2. Area having intensive cultivation/ area falling under canal command, thus
prone to pollution from fertilisers/ insecticides or water logging.
3. Area having fluoride above maximum permissible limit of 1.5ppm
4. Area having nitrate above maximum permissible limit of 45ppm. (Even
though nitrate is point source pollution due to anthropogenic activity and as
such area cannot be demarcated, for the convenience of the user group, area
having high incidence of pollution is marked. Within the marked area there
may be points devoid of high nitrate and vice-versa.)
5. Industrial cluster as identified by Central Pollution Control Board, prone for
pollution from industries.
In some of the districts parts of the area groundwater is vulnerable due to
more than one of the above parameters, while in some others the entire
district is free from vulnerability. In Dakshina Kannada district contamination
of groundwater from fertilizers is observed in Puttur, sullya and Bentwal taluks
(fig.9 )

Unit area annual groundwater recharge

Sustainability of groundwater resource depends mainly on two factors viz.
Annual groundwater recharge and annual groundwater draft. The annual
groundwater recharge depends on the quantity and intensity of rain fall, the
infiltration characteristics of the soil, the depth to groundwater level, the slope
of the area and the geomorphology. The groundwater recharge is assessed
separately for the monsoon and non monsoon period due to rainfall as well as
due to other sources. The annual groundwater recharge includes all the
above.
The recharge from other sources includes return seepage from irrigated area,
seepage from canals, seepage from water bodies, seepage from influent
rivers etc. The recharge can be expressed in metres. In the state of
Karnataka, the unit area recharge is grouped into four categories viz. 0.025-
0.10m, 0.10-0.15m, 0.15-0.25m and 0.25-0.50m. In Dakshina Kannada district
the unit area annual recharge is in the range of 0.025-0.10m in parts of Sullya
and Belthangadi taluks and in the range of 0.10-0.15m in Puttur and in the
range of 0.15-0.25m in Bentwal and Mangalore taluks (fig.10)

18
 Fig: 9

19
 Fig:10

20
4.2 Groundwater resources:
As per the ‘Ground Water Resource Estimation (GEM-1997)’, the
annual ground water availability is 31279 Ham; the existing gross
groundwater draft for all uses is 20645 Ham; after allocating a resource of
4625 Ham for future industrial and domestic uses, the net groundwater
availability for future irrigation development is 9962 Ham. This balance
resource can create a ground water irrigation potential of 13250 Ha. The
ground water development in the district varies from taluk to taluk with an
average development of 66% for the district.
The talukwise groundwater resource (as on March 2009) is given in the
table below.

4.3 Groundwater quality:

Groundwater quality is generally good and potable. The specific
conductivity of ground water in the district varies from 70-140 micromhos/cm
at 25oC. The groundwater quality map is shown in figure 11.

5.0 Groundwater Management Strategy

5.1 Groundwater Development:

The average groundwater development of the district is 66%. The resource
estimation reveals that the extent of development is the highest in Bantwal
taluk (71%) and the least in Belthangadi taluk (49%). In others taluks it is 67%
in Mangalore taluk, 85% in Puttur taluk and 63% in Sullya taluk. Net ground
water availability for future irrigation development as on March, 2009 in
Bantwal taluk is 1880 ha.m., Belthangadi taluk is 4142 ha.m., Mangalore taluk
is 1124 ha.m, Puttur taluk is 846 ha.m and Sulya taluk is 1970 ha.m.

Categorisation: which is based on stage of groundwater development as

well as long-term trend of ground water level indicates that 40% of the area of
the Bantwal taluk and 20% each of Puttur and Mangalore taluks are over
exploited. Some part of all the taluks fall in Semi- critical category (table 2).
Major parts of Puttur (70%) and Belthangadi (90%) are in SAFE category. In
these areas groundwater development is on a low-key and hence enough
scope exists further groundwater development. There is no much scope for
groundwater development in over exploited areas and groundwater regime is
to be closely monitored. In these areas, resource augmentation measures are
to be implemented (Fig.13).

21
 Fig: 11

22
 Total
Sulya
Puttur
Bantwal

Mangalore
Belthangadi
TALUK
TOTAL ANNUAL GROUND

8794
6083
WATER RECHARGE

HAM

49829
10053
12540
12359
NET ANNUAL GROUND WATER

5488
6081
3735
8397
7578
AVAILABILITY

HAM

31279
EXISTING GROSS GROUND
WATER DRAFT FOR

3098
4573
1924
3237
3966
HAM

16798
IRRIGATION

EXISTING GROSS GROUND

WATER DRAFT FOR DOMESTIC

347
613
566
897

3847
1424

AND INDUSTRIAL WATER

HAM

SUPPLY

23
EXISTING GROSS GROUND
3445
5186
2490
4134
5390

WATER DRAFT FOR ALL USES

HAM

20645

ALLOCATION FOR DOMESTIC

AND INDUSTRIAL USE FOR
423
735
697

4625
1018
1752
HAM

NEXT 25 YEARS

NET GROUND WATER

AVAILABILITY FOR FUTURE
846

9962
1970
1124
4142
1880
HAM

IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT

STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT AS
63
85
67
49
71

ON MARCH 2009
(%)

Av.66
40
70
50
90
20
(%)

SAFE AREA
60
10
30
10
40

SEMI-CRITICAL AREA
(%)

-
-
-
-
-
(%)

CRITICAL AREA
Table. 2. Talukwise groundwater resource (as on March 2004) Dakshina Kannada district.

-
-

20
20
40

OVER-EXPLOITED AREA
(%)
 Fig:12

24
5.2 Water conservation and Artificial Recharge:
The average rainfall of the district is 3789 mm and average rainy
days are 126. The average groundwater development is nearly 66%. In
spite of copious rainfall, during summer season many parts of the district
face acute scarcity of water due to highly undulating nature of the terrain
and unfavourable sub-surface conditions. However, there is scope for
arresting the sub-surface flow at suitable locations through the
construction of sub-surface dams. The surface runoff can also be arrested
by constructing check dams, vented dams etc throughout the district at
appropriate places. This can assure availability of water during peak
requirement period. Such measures are necessary in areas of Bantwal,
Puttur and Mangalore taluks which are categorised as over exploited.
Insitu Rainwater Harvesting may ease the problems of seasonal water -
scarcity and saline water ingress in coastal stretch.
6.0 Groundwater related issues and problems
The district receives more than 3000 mm rainfall annually.
However, inspite of a good amount of rainfall, there are certain problems
which need a proper water management strategy. The major problems are
i). Flooding and coastal erosion ii). Salinity ingress of coastal aquifers and
Inland salinity along river course. iii). Water logging
Flooding and coastal erosion: is the problem in the coastal tract and
adjacent the major rivers like Netravati and Gurupur rivers due to
incessant rains. The problem worsens during high tide time. Though a
complete solution is not possible, construction of a series of checkdams
across the rivers and coastal erosion measures along the coast can
alleviate this problem during medium intensity rainfall.
Salinity ingress of coastal aquifers : Salinity ingress of coastal
aquifers and the inland salinity problem along the major river sides mainly
during summer months when seaward fresh water flow in the rivers
dwindle are prevalent on a minor scale. To check the movement of saline
water ingression inland through river and protect the groundwater.
Construction of dams across rivers and streams can reduce the problem.
Dams are constructed at many locations already in the area.
Water logging: The observation well data of CGWB for November
2011 shows an area of limited extent which have depth to water level with
in 2 mbgl. However, in the coastal tract and along the main rivers
groundwater lies within 2 to 5mbgl which can be considered to be ‘prone
for water logging’.

25
 Fig: 13

26
The NHS water level data of CGWB collected during pre-monsoon
indicates water level between 2 to 5 mbgl in the coastal plains and
alongside the river in Mangalore and Bantwal taluks. Such water logging
prone areas are found in different taluks at topographic lows. Proper
drainage and exploitation of groundwater will help in improving the
situation.

7.0 Awareness and Training Activity:

7.1 Mass Awareness Programme & Water Management:

Training Programme: One ‘Mass Awareness Programme’ was
conducted in Mangalore during 2001. Lectures on rainwater harvesting
and artificial recharge to ground water were given and brochures are
distributed.

7.2 Participation in Exhibition, Mela, Fair etc: Nil

7.3 Presentation and Lectures delivered in public forum, Radio/ TV,

Institute of repute/ Grassroot associations/ Academic institutions etc
: Nil

8.0 Areas Notified by CGWA/SGWA : No area is notified either by

CGWA or SGWA.

9.0 Recommendations:
After analyzing the present groundwater scenario in Dakshina
Kannada district, the following recommendations are made to
develop and manage ground water on sustainable basis in different
parts of the district.
a) Dugwells which are currently in use in the high groundwater
development areas may be further deepened to tap more
saturated part of the phreatic aquifer and increase the yield.
b) Pinpointing of sites for wells and bore wells in feasible areas
should be tried based on scientific investigations to avoid
failure of wells.
c) In areas prone to water-logging conjunctive use of surface
and groundwater should be practiced. Withdrawing more
groundwater through dugwells and shallow borewells
reduces the water-logging problem in the command area by
declining the groundwater level.
d) Water use efficiency should be achieved by adopting water
economy methods like drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation
in a large way in irrigated agriculture to save water.

27
e) Insitu rainwater harvesting is suitable for the villages where
ground water carries excess nitrate or affected by high
salinity such as in coastal tracts. Rainwater harvesting in
hilly areas also offer a solution for drinking water problem.
f) Artificial recharge measures like check-dams, percolation
tanks, and point recharge structures shoud be implemented
on an extensive scale especially in Critical areas (eg:
Bantwal taluk). Suitable artificial recharge structures should
be constructed in different terrains which will arrest and store
the run-off in rainy season. This stored water will augment
recharge to groundwater and also helps in arresting soil
erosion and controlling flood.
g) Rejuvenation of existing MI tanks by de-silting would
enhance their storage and percolation capacities.
h) Institutional financial assistance should be provided to poor
farmers for adopting groundwater augmentation practices such as
Rain Water Harvesting and construction of different Artificial
Recharge Structures.

28