5.0

Varada River

1

Geography

River Varada is spread across Shimoga, Uttara Kannada and Haveri districts of Karnataka (Figure 1). Originating at Varadamoola (Figure 2) (Ramachandra et al 2014), Varada flows in the north east direction for a distance of nearly 198 km (Survey of India Topographic sheets,) before it joins Tungabhadra at Galagantha village Haveri district (Figure 2).
Tributaries of Varada include, and many more. Varada river has a catchment area of 5135 sq.km.

Figure 1: Varada River Location

Figure 2: Overlay of Google Earth

Figure 3: Topography
Topography of Varada river catchment is as depicted in Figure 3, elevation ranges between 507m and 836m w.r.t Mean Sea Level, slope of the catchment varies up to 119%. The catchment has gentle slope flowing to the north eastern direction.
Due to the flatter terrain, numerous lakes (over 4000) in the catchment could be observed which serves as a reserve, recharge pit, for fish culture, agriculture and other activities.
Rock types: Granite, Schists, Porphyry, Chlorite, Limestone
Ores: Iron, Manganese, Limestone, Clay
Soil: Red Soil, Lateritic soils, Black soil, etc

2

Rainfall and Water Yield

Rainfall assessment in Varada catchment (Figure 4) indicates that rainfall in the catchment is orographic with annual rainfall varying spatially between 663mm at the plains of Haveri, to over 3600 mm at the Ghats of Sagar (Shimoga).
Water yield in the catchment is 40 – 80 TMC

Figure 4: Rainfall

3

Anthropology

Population in the catchment (Figure 5) is about1234523. Population density in the catchment is 245 persons per square kilometer as on 2016. Major Population is contained at towns such as Sagara, Siddapura, Haveri, Sorab, Shiggaon, Savanur, Hangal. Agasanahalli, Byadgi, etc.
Communities: Kumri Marati, Goudas, Konkanis. Havyaka Brahmin, , Nadavas, Kurubas, Siddis, Daivajna, Muslims, Lingayaths etc. (Chandran and Hughes 2000, Wikipedia, Gazetter of India-Uttara Kannada district, Mysore Gazetteer). 

4

Culture, Heritage

Culture

• Festivals and Jatras: Uura habba (Village Festival), Nadi habba (River festival), Renukanma jatra, Mari habba, Ganapathi jatra, Rameshwara Ratha jatra, Basaveshwara Jatra, Gam devara jatra, Nandi jatra, etc
• Dance: Folk dances (suggi kunita), bharatha natya, Kolata, bedara kunita, dhamami kunita, Huli kunita, Yakshagana, Masti Kunita, Preta kuntia, Bedara kunita, Mandala kunita, etc
• Music: Folk Songs, Garatiya Haadu, Halliya Haadu, Nadapadagalu, Bingina pada, Gumatepada, Jogavve haadu, Jogi pada, Badi vadya etc.
• Traditional Games: Kallata, kavade, Channe mane, Karu aata, Katte aata, Hulighatta, Bandi aata, Devarata, Sariya mugila aata, Achchu aata, Chowkabara, Tabalamane, etc.

Major temples in the catchment of Ikkeri, Keladi, Marikamba, Varadambe, Varadalli, Banavasi, Chandragutgi, Tarakeshwara, Siddeswhara, Kaginele, Kedareswhara, Bankapura, Hosagunda, Ranganatha etc  and many deities of the sacred groves.

5

Land use dynamics

Land use analysis as on 2013 show that the catchment is dominated by agricultural activities towards the plains (69.11% of the total catchment) and plantation activities in the Ghats. Forests cover only 15.4% of the entire catchments, dominated at Ghats. Figure 5 depicts FCC , Figure 6 and

Table 1 depicts land use in the catchment as on 2013.

Figure 5: False colour composite

Figure 7: Land use dynamics in Varada Catchment
Table1: Land use in Varada Catchment

6

Agriculture, Irrigation

Variety of Paddy, Sugar cane, Jowar, Ragi, Cotton, Maize, Pineapple, Ginger, Banana, Arecanut, Coconut, Mango, spices,  etc.

7

Diversions

Numerous barrages, check-dams, lakes for maintaining water demand of agriculture and horticulture crops.

8

Bio Diversity

Flora: http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity/database_new (Sorba, Sagara,) Forest types found in the district are: Evergreen, Semi Evergreen, Moist Deciduous, Scrub, Thorny, un wooded with following species.
Actinodaphne hookeri, Adina cordifolia, Aglaia ananmallayana, Aglaia roxburghiana, Alangium salvifolium, Albizia sp, Alseodaphne semicarpifolia, Alstonia scholaris, Antiaris toxicaria, Aphanamixis polystachya, Aphananthe cuspidata, Aporosa lindleyana, Artocarpus gomezianus, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Artocarpus hirsutus, Beilschmiedia fagifolia, Bombax ceiba, Butea monosperma, Calicopteris floribunda, Careya arborea, Caryota urens, Casearia championii, Cassine glauca, Celtis cinnomomea, Chrysophyllum roxburghii, Chukrasia tabularis, Clausena anisata, Cleidion javanicum, Cordia sp, Dalbergia latifolia, Dalbergia sympathetica, Diospyros crumenata, Diospyros montana, Diospyros oocarpa, Diospyros sylvatica, Drypetes confertiflora, Dysoxylum malabaricum, Entada pursaetha, Ervatamia heyneana, Erythrina variegata, Fagraea ceilanica, Ficus callosa, Ficus nervosa, Ficus tsjahela, Flacourtia montana, Glochidion zeylanicum, Gnetum ula, Grewia tiliifolia, Harpullia imbricata, Holigarna arnotiana, Holigarna beddomii, Holigarna ferruginea, Holigarna grahamii, Hydnocarpus laurifolia, Ipomoea sp, Ixora brachiata, Knema attenuata, Lagerstroemia microcarpa, Lannea coromandelica, Linociera malabarica, Macaranga peltata, Mammea suriga, Mangifera indica, Margaritaria indica, Memecylon talbotianum, Merremia emarginata, Mimusops elengi, Mussaenda belilla, Nothapodytes  foetida, Olea dioica, Phyllanthus emblica, Pterocarpus marsupium, Pterospermum reticulatum, Sapindus emarginatus, Sapindus laurifolia, Saraca asoca, Schefflera wallichiana, Spatholobus parviflorus, Spondias pinnata, Sterculia guttata, Stereospermum tetragonum, Streblus asper, Strombosia ceylanica, Strychnos nuxvomica, Syzygium cumini, Terminalia alata, Terminalia bellirica, Terminalia chebula, Terminalia paniculata, Tetrameles nudiflora, Tetrastigma gamblei, Toddalia asiatica var  floribunda, Toona ciliata, Trema orientalis, Uvaria narum, Vengueria spinosa, Ventilago madraspatana, Vepris bilocularis, Vitex altissima, Xantolis tomentosa, Xeromorphis spinosa, Xylia xylocarpa, Zanthoxylum rhetsa.
Fauna: : http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity/database_new
Mammals: Tiger (Ghats), Black Panther, Leopard, Bison, Gaur, Hare, Wild Boar, Sloth Bear, Deer, Thar, Bonnet Macaque, Giant Squirrel, Hanuman Languor, Fox, etc
Reptiles: Snakes (Vipers, Cobra, Rat snake, Krait, King cobra, Python, Wolf snake, etc), Monitor Lizard.

9

References

• Survey of India Topographic Sheets, 1:50000 scale.
• Water Resource Information System of India, http://www.india-wris.nrsc.gov.in.
• Google Earth, https://www.google.com/earth/.
• Census of India, 2001 and 2011, censusindia.gov.in.
• Ramachandra, T. V., Chandran, M. D. S., Vinay, S., Bharath, H. Aithal., 2014, Water Scarcity in Varada Catchment: Need to arrest Deforestation on Priority, ENVIS Technical Report No. 82, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
• ENVIS Sahyadri Web Portal, http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity/database_new/
• Chandran, M. D. S., and Hughes, J. D., 2000, Sacred Groves and Conservation: The Comparative History of Traditional Reserves in the Mediterranean Area and in South India, Environment and History, 6, 2, 169–186.
• Gazetter of India, Uttara Kannada district, 1985
• Mysore Gazetteer, Volume 5, Part 2, 2011.
• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/T_V_Ramachandra/publications
• http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy
• http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity