Hazardous wastewater filled with heavy metals and cancer-causing agents like mercury, lithium, and pyrene is seeping into Manchanabele Dam, endangering the health of nearly 40 villages in Magadi Taluk.

Nirmala Gowda, a water conservationist from Paani.Earth, a group advocating for sustainable river management, revealed alarming discoveries from a study on sediment deposits in Thippagondanahalli Reservoir (TGR) and Manchanabele Dam, both part of the Arkavathi River. “Toxic metals were detected in the water, posing serious risks such as kidney disorders, cancer, and liver infections,” she stated.

Though Manchanabele Dam gets clean water from Chik Tore stream, it is simultaneously polluted by severely contaminated water from TGR, located just 10 km upstream. “Industrial waste from Peenya, untreated sewage, solid garbage disposal, and open incineration near water bodies are the key pollutants,” Gowda explained. “Our March 2024 study found that 168 million litres of tainted water enter the dam daily,” she added.

Magadi MLA HC Balakrishna acknowledged the crisis affecting 2.75 lakh residents, urging the government to fast-track the ‘Express Canal’ project and implement lift irrigation from the Hemavathi River. “Currently, water is drawn from Sattegala, Manchanabele, and YG Gudda, but if pollution persists, Manchanabele’s water will soon be undrinkable due to Bengaluru’s wastewater influx,” he cautioned.

Environmentalist Yellappa Reddy recalled that in 1985, 5,000 acres of Savandurga Reserve Forest and the Manchanabele catchment were designated for medicinal plant conservation. However, he stressed that all water bodies in the area are now polluted.