Vedavati River Tank Cascade Irrigation of Chitradurga

The Vedavati river flowing through Chitradurga district supports an ancient cascade tank irrigation system — chains of interconnected tanks where each tank's overflow feeds the next downstream tank. This system, developed by the Nayaka rulers and local communities over centuries, optimised the capture of monsoon runoff in this rain-shadow region. The Vani Vilas Sagar reservoir (1907) at Hiriyur, the oldest large dam in Karnataka, represents the transition from traditional tank irrigation to engineered storage. Community tank committees (kere samithi) maintained each tank's bund, sluice, and surplus weir — crucial work in a region where tank silting due to catchment erosion could eliminate an entire season's water supply.