The river Sharavathi holds a special place in my heart as I spent my childhood in Jog Falls, where my father was the superintending engineer at the power plant. This turbulent river flows entirely through the rainforests of the Western Ghats before it joins the ocean at Honnavar.
When it is not flowing through the dense forest, the river irrigates rice fields, coconut and spice gardens. The waterways along the Sharavathi were used to export pepper, cinnamon, ginger and other spices in the olden days.
People extract small quantities of sand to build their homes, as large scale sand mining is prohibited.
The railway bridge across the river is an engineering marvel.
Much of the Sharavathi basin is now declared a world heritage site. The river supports incredible numbers of flora and fauna.
The splendour of Jog Falls is seen only during the monsoon season. The falls is 280metres high. The dense forests around it have tigers, leopards, fox, wild dog and many other wild animals.
Sharavathi provides us with food, electricity and timber.
My thanks to Mrs.Nesbitt and Roger for the stimulating
ABCWednesday.
