Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (MS)

Puttur, Jul 6: The hot water spring located on private land in Batladka, Bandaaru village, which had been drying up during the summer for the past two years, has started flowing again with the onset of the monsoon.

The spring is situated on the property of Mohammed Bandaaru, a diving expert residing in Batladka of Ankaramajalu. The site is 12 feet long, seven feet wide, and five feet deep. About half an inch of hot water flows into this small pond, trickling between the stones. There is a paddy field on the lower side of the pool, and the Netravati river flows approximately 100 meters away.

Mohammed says, “This hot water spring has been in the same condition since my grandfather's time. It is more than 500 years old and used to flow year-round. During summer, even when the Netravati river would dry up, hot water continued to flow into the pool from the cracks in the rocks, 24/7.”

He further explained, “Now, the pool has been drying up during the summer for the past two years. A team of scientists has been studying this rare phenomenon for the past ten years. Initially, scientists from Chennai visited the site for research, but now a team from Kerala comes every six months to study the phenomenon.

“The scientists provided me with a thermometer to check the water temperature every morning and evening and report to them. The temperature reaches up to 36.6°C, and once in the morning in the last week, it was 41.4°C. Despite the cool surrounding environment, the spring water remains hot. During the monsoon, the water flowing from the rocks increases. Although the scientists have not provided a precise explanation for this phenomenon, they suggest that the water is much hotter inside the earth and cools down as it surfaces. They also noted that this is the only hot water spring in South India,” he said.