Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
1. East-flowing rivers
The Krishna system (north Karnataka)
| River | Notes |
|---|---|
| Krishna | Rises near Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra); enters Karnataka in Belagavi; Almatti dam (Lal Bahadur Shastri Sagar) and Narayanpur dam (Basava Sagar) — the Upper Krishna Project |
| Ghataprabha | Hidkal dam (Raja Lakhamagouda dam); Gokak Falls downstream |
| Malaprabha | Navilutheertha dam (Renuka Sagar) near Saundatti |
| Bhima | Flows through Kalaburagi and Yadgir; Sannati stupa on its bank |
| Tungabhadra | Formed by the Tunga and Bhadra at Koodli (Shivamogga); Tungabhadra dam at Hosapete (Munirabad on the other bank); Hampi lies on its bank; joins the Krishna in Andhra Pradesh |
The Kaveri system (south Karnataka)
| River | Notes |
|---|---|
| Kaveri | Rises at Talakaveri (Brahmagiri hills, Kodagu); Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) near Mandya (Sir M. Visvesvaraya; Brindavan Gardens); islands of Srirangapatna and Shivanasamudra; enters Tamil Nadu at Hogenakkal |
| Harangi | Harangi dam near Kushalnagar (Kodagu) |
| Hemavathi | Gorur dam (Hassan) |
| Kabini | Rises in Wayanad (Kerala); Kabini dam at Beechanahalli; joins the Kaveri at T. Narasipura |
| Shimsha, Arkavathi, Lakshmanatirtha, Suvarnavathi | Smaller tributaries |
Others
- Pennar (Uttara Pinakini), Ponnaiyar (Dakshina Pinakini), Palar rise in the Nandi Hills region and flow to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
2. West-flowing rivers
| River | Notes |
|---|---|
| Sharavathi | Jog Falls (about 253 m, Shivamogga); Linganamakki dam for the Sharavathi hydro scheme |
| Kali | Supa dam near Dandeli; Kali Tiger Reserve; Kaiga atomic plant on its bank; meets the sea at Karwar |
| Aghanashini | Unchalli (Lushington) Falls |
| Bedti (Gangavali) | Magod Falls |
| Netravati | Joined by the Kumaradhara; reaches the sea at Mangaluru with the Gurupura |
| Varahi, Sita, Swarna, Chakra | Short rivers of Udupi district |
3. Major dams at a glance
| Dam / reservoir | River | District |
|---|---|---|
| Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) | Kaveri | Mandya |
| Almatti (Lal Bahadur Shastri Sagar) | Krishna | Vijayapura–Bagalkot |
| Narayanpur (Basava Sagar) | Krishna | Yadgir |
| Tungabhadra | Tungabhadra | Vijayanagara–Koppal |
| Linganamakki | Sharavathi | Shivamogga |
| Supa | Kali | Uttara Kannada |
| Hidkal | Ghataprabha | Belagavi |
| Navilutheertha | Malaprabha | Belagavi |
| Bhadra (Lakkavalli) | Bhadra | Chikkamagaluru |
| Harangi | Harangi | Kodagu |
| Gorur | Hemavathi | Hassan |
| Kabini | Kabini | Mysuru |
4. Waterfalls
| Falls | River | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Jog | Sharavathi | Shivamogga–Uttara Kannada border |
| Shivanasamudra (Gaganachukki, Bharachukki) | Kaveri | Mandya–Chamarajanagar |
| Gokak | Ghataprabha | Belagavi |
| Unchalli | Aghanashini | Uttara Kannada |
| Magod | Bedti | Uttara Kannada |
| Abbey Falls | (stream near Madikeri) | Kodagu |
5. Interstate water disputes
- Kaveri (with Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry) — Tribunal award 2007; in February 2018 the Supreme Court fixed Karnataka's annual release to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu at 177.25 TMC ft (down from 192). The Cauvery Water Management Authority implements it.
- Krishna (with Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana) — the height of Almatti and the tribunal allocations.
- Mahadayi / Mhadei (with Goa, Maharashtra) — Karnataka's Kalasa–Banduri project to divert water to the Malaprabha basin for north Karnataka's drinking water; a tribunal gave its award in 2018.
Revision SummaryQuick recap
- Kaveri rises at Talakaveri (Kodagu); KRS on the Kaveri.
- Tunga + Bhadra meet at Koodli; Tungabhadra dam at Hosapete.
- Jog Falls on the Sharavathi; Supa dam on the Kali.
- Kaveri 2018: 177.25 TMC ft at Biligundlu.