New vented dam at Thumbe may be ready by 2013

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Ahmed Anwar)
February 21, 2012

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Mangalore, February 21: The new vented dam across the Netravathi at Thumbe, which is expected to meet the city's water requirements for five months with zero inflow will be ready by the end of next year, according to a senior official.

L N Anand, Executive Engineer, Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB), Mangalore told media persons on the sidelines of Ganga Pooja to the river organised by Mangalore City Corporation that while the existing vented dam has a storage capacity of 4.89 million cubic metres (mcm), the new vented dam, that was being constructed 50 metres downstream from the existing dam, would take the storage up to 14.74 mcm.

The existing storage capacity of 4.89 mcm helps MCC, which uses this water storage reservoir as its primary source of drinking water, for three months. The new dam will give the civic body a cushion of two months in meeting its water supply requirements to domestic and commercial users in the worst-case scenario of prolonged summer which can be accentuated by a delay in the onset of monsoon.

Mr Anand said the scarcity of labour has slowed down the dam construction work. "There is no shortage of material or finances," he said, adding that the non-availability of labour is pushing deadlines set for completing the dam.

Handled by Rithwik Projects Ltd and Swapna Constructions in a joint venture, the new vented dam will rise 12 metres from the foundation with water storage pegged at 7 metres. "The worst flood recorded in this part is 11.79 metres in 1974, and the height of the dam has been factored keeping in mind the history of the area," he said, adding that the new vented dam will have 30 vents of 10 metre width each, and they will have electrically-operated mechanical gates.

Observing that utmost care has been taken at the construction stage, Anand said: "Torsteel Research Foundation of India has vetted the dam design, while geologists from Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd will certify the foundation quality. Indian Register of Shipping are carrying out third-party inspection of materials used." The board has sent a revised estimate of Rs 79.5 crore to MCC for approval.

Ganga Pooja

Prior to this, Mayor Praveen and his deputy Geetha Nayak, along with other corporators and officials, performed 'Ganga Pooja', a task usually performed by Dakshina Kannada district minister. The pooja is offered to seek blessings for copious water storage at the dam.

With chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda having officially said he would be in charge of the district following Krishna Palemar quitting the cabinet in the wake of porngate, the task of offering pooja fell on Praveen, given the CM's preoccupation with preparing the state budget. Mayors in the past have assisted the respective district ministers in this task and have played second fiddle in the annual ritual with attention riveted on the ministers.

Geetha Nayak attached a philosophical chord to the rituals by stating that this tradition is in line with the tendency of Indians to see the almighty in all forms, and worship the elements seeking prosperity for all.

Underscoring the need to conserve water - given the fact that underground water table dips with each passing year - she advocated the need to make water conservation mandatory and start lessons on water conservation for schoolchildren.

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News Network
February 11,2020

Thrissur, Feb 11: The latest test result of the woman medical student, who arrived here from China's Wuhan region and was the first positive case from India for the novel Coronavirus (nCoV), has come out negative, health officials said on Monday.

Her condition was "stable", they said.

According to the state health department as of now, 31 people are in isolation wards across various hospitals in the state.

"The blood test result of the first patient from Thrissur, from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) testing centre at Alappuzha, shows a negative result.

But we need confirmation from the NIV at Pune," a senior medical officer told news agency.

After the first positive case was reported from Thrissur, two other Keralite students from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, had tested positive in Alappuzha and Kasaragod districts.

The health department had earlier said those in isolation wards of various hospitals in the state have come down to 34.

"A total of 3,367 are under observation across the state, of which 3,336 are under home quarantine," a release issued by the health department said.

The department has already sent at least 364 samples for testing at the NIV at Pune and so far 337 results have returned negative.

The ''state calamity'' alert, which was declared on February 3, was withdrawn on Friday after no new positive cases of infection were detected.

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News Network
January 15,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 15: Thousands of people on Wednesday boarded boats from Ullal's Kotepura to join a massive protest against the amended Citizenship Act and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Adyar here.

People travelling through boats and steamers decorated with national flags, raised slogans during their journey through the Netravathi River.

The innovative mode of transportation was used by the protestors to reach the venue, as it not only saved time but was also more convenient for the fishermen, as large number of people from this community joined the protest.

The protestors docked their boats at the shore, which was barely 500 metres from the site of protest, being held at Shah Ground in Adyar.

The distance between Kotepura to the Shah Ground is approximately 15 kilometres but protesters would have to walk more five kilometres to reach the venue because of heavy traffic.

Due to protest, the national highway was also blocked and resulted in huge traffic snarls on routes leading to agitation site. 

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News Network
July 8,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 8: In a setback to the State government, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday stayed the initial ban and the subsequent restrictions imposed on schools against conducting online classes from pre-primary to Class X.

Prima facie the ban and embargo imposed on online education violate Articles 21 and 21A of the Constitutionon the fundamental right to education, the Court said.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Nataraj Rangaswamy passed the interim order staying the operation of Government Orders issued on June 15 and June 27 respectively.

The Bench passed the interim order on the petitions filed by parents of children and several educational institutions questioning the legality of the ban and the restrictions imposed.

However, the Bench made it clear that this order should not be construed that the schools have right to make online education compulsory and can charge fee for offering online education. Also, the schools should not deprive students, who cannot opt for online education, the lost education when the schools reopen on regular basis.

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