Tungabhadra River

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Context

• A 17-year-old was recently swept away in the Tungabhadra River in Huligi village.

About Tungabhadra River

• It is a prominent river in the Indian peninsula's south.
• It is a significant tributary of the Krishna River.
• The name comes from the confluence of two rivers, Tunga and Bhadra.
• The Tunga and Bhadra Rivers have their origins on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats.
• The two rivers meet near Koodli in Karnataka's Shimoga district, giving birth to the Tungabhadra River.
• It flows roughly northwest before entering the Krishna River near Sangamaleshwaram in Andhra Pradesh.
• The river has a total length of 531 kilometers and a catchment area of 28,000 square kilometers.
• It runs through the Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
• Varada River and Hagari (Vedathy) River are major tributaries.
• The river has various dams and reservoirs erected, including the Tunga Anicut Dam, the Bhadra Dam, the Hemavathy Dam, and the Tungabhadra Dam.
• The Hindus regard this river as sacred, appearing in the Ramayana as Pampa.
• The Tungabhadra River was previously known as the Varada River.
• For the Vijayanagar Empire, the river was a vital source of water.
• The Vijayanagar Empire's capital, Hampi, was located on the river's banks.
• The famous Virupaksha temple also is on the banks of river Tungabhadra.
• The greater part of the Tungabhadra’s course lies in the southern part of the Deccan plateau.
• The river is fed mainly by rain, and it has a monsoonal regimen with summer high water.
• It flows in a more or less northwest direction before joining the eastern river, Krishna.
• The Krishna River finally ends in the Bay of Bengal.

About Tungabhadra Dam

• Tungabhadra Dam, commonly known as Pampa Sagar, is a multifunctional dam located near Hosapete, Ballari district, Karnataka. Thirumalai Iyengar erected it in 1953.
• The Tungabhadra reservoir has a storage capacity of 101 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic Feet) with a catchment area of 28000 square kilometers.
• It stands approximately 49.5 meters tall.

Importance

• It is the lifeline of six chronically drought-prone districts in Karnataka (popularly known as the rice bowl of Karnataka) and Andhra Pradesh (Anantapur, Cuddapah, and Kurnool).
• It not only irrigates enormous areas of land in both states, but it also creates hydropower and aids in flood prevention.