Major and Medium Irrigation Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy said that the phase-1 of the Upper Bhadra Project will be completed by November or December, 2026, and water will reach Davangere, Chitradurga, Tumakuru and Chikkamagaluru districts.

Responding to the question raised by Congress member Balkis Banu in the Legislative Council on Friday, he said 17.04 tmcft of water needs to be lifted from the Tunga river to the Bhadra reservoir and ₹324 crore is being spent on this project. “During the implementation of this project, there was a delay in obtaining permissions and other statutory approvals related to land acquisition, forest and power transmission line. All these have been rectified,” he stated.

Citing various works under progress, he said, “All these works will be completed by the end of November and water will be released by the end of December.”

Published - August 22, 2026 12:32 am IST