Investigation was carried out during 1996 and 1997 at Agricultural Research Station. Honnavalle, Shimoga to ascertain the efficacy of water use with hybrid rice (KRH 2) grown under different method of establishment. Dry, wet and transplanting methods of establishment were tried with hand weeding and chemical + hand weeding. Wet seed establishment in puddled soils performed equally to that of transplanting. Hand weeding either in transplanting (69.0 q/ha) or wet seeding (67.5 q/ha) gave highest yield. consumed 1831 and 1872 mm of water with WUE of 37.7 and 36.0 kg/ha -cm respecitvely. Chemical + hand weeding either in transplanting (64.3 q/ha) or wet sowing (62.2 q/ha) also performed equally with slight lower yield and WUE (35.1 and 33.2 kg/ha -mm).