Tungabhadra River is a major river in the south Indian peninsula which is a chief confluent of the Krishna River. The Hindus consider this river sacred and there is a mention of the river in Ramayana where it is referred to as Pampa. Tungabhadra River flows through the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The river has a catchment area of 27,574 square miles. The tributaries of the Tungabhadra are Varada River and Hagari (Vedathy) River. In modern India, a huge dam and hydroelectric project is constructed across Tungabhadra River.
An important feature of the Tungabhadra River bank is the flood protection walls all along the river, constructed between 1525 and 1527 AD. It starts at Sringeri and ends at Kurnool, just few kilometres from its mouth. They are stone constructions which are still intact.
Course of Tungabhadra River
The merging of the two rivers, the Tunga River and the Bhadra River at Koodli in Shimoga district of Karnataka, gives birth to the Tungabhadra River. The Tunga and the Bhadra Rivers flow down the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats located in the state of Karnataka. After its birth, the Tungabhadra River takes a north-east direction where it flows through uneven ridges formed by boulders, which is the Deccan Plateau. The river meanders through the plains to a distance of 531 km and merges with the Krishna River at Gondimalla, near the famous Alampur in Mahbubnagar District of Telangana. The Krishna River continues in the east direction and evacuates in the Bay of Bengal. The locked land that lies in the north of Tungabhadra River between the Tungabhadra and the Krishna River is called the ‘Raichur Doab’.
The pollution in the river has a food chain effect on humans.
Fishes or other species in the rivers ingest many particles including the micro-plastics.
And, when humans eat those fishes, these small tiny particles of micro-plastics can accumulate in human body causing damage.
The union government, although, supplements the efforts of state governments in the abatement of pollution in rivers.
With this objective, the union government collaborates with state governments under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) on a cost-sharing basis for rivers other than Ganga and its tributaries.
For Ganga and its tributaries, the central government had already launched Namami Gange in 2014 with the total budgetary outlay of Rs 20,000 crore.
