Karnataka Pours ₹1,900 Cr into Yettinahole Water Project

In a major step toward resolving the drinking water crisis in Karnataka’s Bayaluseeme region, the state Cabinet on July 2, 2025, approved an additional ₹1,900 crore for the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Supply Project. With this, the total project cost now stands at ₹23,251 crore, of which ₹17,147 crore has already been spent.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that an estimated ₹8,000 crore is still required to complete the project and that the Finance Department has been instructed to address the funding gap. He reaffirmed that the project is dedicated solely to providing drinking water to over 75 lakh people across nine districts, drawing 14 TMCFT of water.

Initially aimed at Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Hassan, and Ramanagar, the project’s scope was later expanded to include groundwater recharge through lake-filling initiatives.

At the same Cabinet meeting held in Nandi Hills, an additional ₹2,550 crore was approved for projects in the Bengaluru division. This includes ₹36 crore for a new lake in Chintamani and ₹237 crore for lake-filling in Sidlaghatta and Chintamani. Furthermore, ₹1,125 crore was sanctioned for establishing 31 residential schools for children of labourers, two training schools, and new community health centres.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.