Forget rivers and dams; groundwater too reaching danger level in Mangaluru

Mangaluru, May 4: Water famine is worsening in Mangaluru and other parts of Dakshina Kannada district with every passing day as. Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim has appealed to the people to use water judiciously.

He said that underground water table was also depleting in the district fast due to the high temperature. On an average, the district had been recording a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius. Open wells, borewells and tanks had been hit.

In some parts of the district the falling groundwater level has entered the danger zone. And things may worsen further if the same situation continues to prevail.

Mr. Ibrahim appealed to the people, particularly those staying on the banks of the Nethravati, not to lift water for agriculture and allow it to flow down as it was required for drinking in Mangaluru.

Kadaba water released

Meanwhile, following an order from Mr Ibrahim, water stored at Disha Hydel Power Project Dam at Koliyada Katta in Kadaba hobli of Puttur taluk was released with the expectation that it might reach Thumbe Dam from where drinking water is supplied to Mangaluru

The released water will have to traverse 71 km in the river course via the Kumaradhara and the Nethravati if it has to reach the Thumbe Dam, said Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner H.N. Gopalakrishna.

It will have to reach 30 km down to a vented dam across Kumaradhara at Uppinangady first. This dam supplies water to Puttur town. Later, it would have to flow another 30 km down to reach AMR Hydel Power Project's dam at Shambhoor near Bantwal. If it was to reach Thumbe dam, water would have to traverse in the river course further 11 km down, the commissioner said.

The dam near Kadaba had about 2 million cubic metres (MCM) of water. One MCM of water would suffice for supplying for four days to the Mangaluru city.

Also Read: Mangaluru: Hostels sending back students; hotels too hit by water crisis