The small west-flowing rivers of the Western Ghats (WG) serve as critical water towers for India, contributing significantly to the hydrology of the peninsular region. Despite draining only 8% of the land, these rivers account for 32% of the total discharge from Indian peninsular rivers, emphasising their hydrological importance. This study investigates the temporal and geographical variability in discharge characteristics, revealing that anthropogenic factors, including extensive dam construction, have led to a decline in the discharge of major rivers like Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery, Tapti and Narmada, while west-flowing rivers maintain robust runoff due to high rainfall and basin elevation. The findings highlight the potential of diverting water from these west-flowing rivers to alleviate water scarcity in the leeward side of the WG. Transferring water to east-flowing rivers such as the Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery could mitigate water stress, reduce conflicts and enhance water security. The WG coastal rivers annually export 7.74 Tg of DIC and 0.79 Tg of POC to the Arabian Sea, accounting for ~0.5% of the global DIC and POC fluxes. Additionally, these rivers deliver an annual export rate of 0.31 Tg of DIN, 0.03 Tg of DIP and 5.65 Tg of DSi to coastal Arabian Sea. These contributions make the WG coastal rivers the second most significant natural source of nutrients and carbon transport to the southern and central EAS, following coastal upwelling.