Polluted River Stretches (PRS) Assessment Dashboards

This section brings together river-wise assessments of the Polluted River Stretches identified across the Cauvery Basin. Each assessment brings together official Monthly Progress Reports, the polluted river stretch and reported interventions spatially, and assesses reported progress against directions issued by the National Green Tribunal in OA No. 673/2018.

Where relevant, District Environment Plans and other publicly available datasets are also used to identify potential implementation gaps and build a more integrated picture of restoration progress.

The Dashboard has been developed in collaboration with Neervazhu.

The question we are asking

Do the Action Plans and Monthly Progress Reports comprehensively address all potential pollution contributors within each Polluted River Stretch (PRS) catchment?

How are we exploring this question?

Restoring a polluted river is not only about cleaning the river channel itself. It requires stopping pollution at its source. This means identifying where sewage, industrial effluent, solid waste and other waste streams are entering the river system and whether they are being properly managed before they reach the river.

Our assessment therefore looks across the entire PRS catchment. We identify the Urban Local Bodies, Gram Panchayats, industrial areas and other potential pollution sources within it. We then examine whether the different pollution and waste streams from these areas are being addressed through the Action Plan and Monthly Progress Reports.

We also bring in the legal requirements for managing these waste streams, the interventions required under the NGT framework and the authorities responsible for implementing them.

Why do these Dashboards matter?

The restoration of Polluted River Stretches is backed by NGT orders, action plans and ongoing monitoring, with States regularly reporting progress. There is clearly significant institutional effort underway.
Yet many of these river stretches continue to remain polluted.

This disconnect is what we want to understand better.
What has actually changed on the ground? Are all the sources of pollution being accounted for? Are the interventions being implemented where they are needed? And where are the gaps?

By bringing official reports, pollution sources and treatment infrastructure together spatially, this dashboard can help both citizens and government see what has been addressed, identify what may be missing and support more coordinated action.

Official reporting is also only part of the picture. People living across the Cauvery Basin can help build evidence from the ground. If you see untreated sewage, mismanaged solid waste, industrial pollution or other visible pressures on the river, share your observations with us and also report them through the NGT grievance portal

Together, official data and evidence from the ground can help us build a clearer picture of what is changing, what is not and where more attention is needed.

Polluted River Stretches in the Cauvery Basin within Karnataka 

Before looking at individual polluted river stretch dashboards, this map gives us the larger picture. It shows the Polluted River Stretches within the Cauvery Basin in Karnataka and where they sit within the larger river system.

Each of these stretches has its own pressures, catchment and restoration effort. The individual dashboards below allow us to look more closely at what is happening within each one.

A note on PRS Priority

PRS priority is based only on Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), an indicator of organic pollution. It does not represent the river’s overall water quality. Industrial effluents, heavy metals, pesticides, nutrients, pathogens and other chemical pollutants may pose significant risks even where BOD levels are relatively low. A lower PRS priority therefore does not necessarily mean a river stretch is less polluted overall.

Explore the PRS Assessment Dashboards

Choose a river to explore its Polluted River Stretch assessment in more detail.

Click to explore the dashboard

Arkavathi River · Cauvery Tributary | PRS Assessment

A closer look at what is being done to restore the Arkavathi Polluted River Stretch, what has changed and where gaps remain.

Coming Soon

Kabini · Cauvery Tributary | PRS Assessment

A closer look at what is being done to restore the Kabini Polluted River Stretch, what has changed and where gaps remain.

Continue Exploring

Rivers of the Cauvery Basin

Explore the Cauvery River and its tributaries through detailed maps that reveal their connected streams, waterbodies and surrounding landscapes.

Citizen Science Initiative

Coming Soon