CAUVERY BASIN (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: Recently, a paper published by scientists and researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, revealed that natural vegetation on nearly 12,850 sq. km of land in the Cauvery basin was lost in the 50 years between 1965 to 2016.

• Karnataka has lost much more than any other State in the basin.

Key Points

• The Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, and the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary have experienced adverse changes in the extent of forest cover.
• In the case of the Bannerghatta National Park, the moist deciduous forest area, previously at 50% in 1973, decreased to 28.5% in 2015. 
• This reduction is attributed to "anthropogenic pressure" on the National Park and its surroundings.

Cauvery Basin

• About: It is the largest river in the Karnatka state.
• Known as:  Dakshina Ganga (the Ganges of the South) and considered one of the sacred rivers of India.
• Origin: Bramahagiri Hills near Madikeri in Coorg.
• Tributaries: Harangi, Hemavathi, Lakshmanatirtha, Kabini, Shimsha, Arkavati, Suvarnavathi or Honnuholé,  Bhavani, Lokapavani, Noyyal.