68 villages to get water supply from Nethravathi

68 villages to get water supply from Nethravathi

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, May 27: The government has proposed drawing more water from the Nethravathi. It is for supplying drinking water to 68 villages in Dakshina Kannada by constructing vented dams across the river.

In addition, it has proposed supplying drinking water to 25 more villages in the district using surface water from other rivers such as the Payaswini in Sullia and the Gowri Hole in Bellare.

The villages will get water under 15 multi-village water supply schemes mooted by Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat. Of 15 schemes, the Nethravathi alone will have to supply water to nine schemes for supplying water to 68 villages. The total cost of the projects has been estimated at Rs. 148.50 crore.

The move of the zilla panchayat has come at a time when the State government in 2011-12 agriculture budget hinted at diverting the Nethravathi by reserving Rs. 200 crore for the scheme.

The budget document read: “… In the first phase, water will be made available from the Yettinahole canal. A sum of Rs. 200 crore has been provided for implementing this scheme through institutes with requisite expertise…”

Yettinahole is a major tributary of the Nethravathi.

Now the Nethravathi supplies water to Mangalore city, Mulky, Ullal and villages under Thumbe, Pudu and Adyar Gram Panchayats between the city and Tumbe. In addition, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) draws water from the river.

According to official sources, it has been proposed to supply water from the Nethravathi to industries which would come up under Mangalore Special Economic Zone Project.

S. L. Sathyanarayana, Executive Engineer, Rural Water Supply and Panchayatraj Engineering Division of the panchayat told The Hindu that it had proposed lifting surface water for 15 schemes by building vented dams as water level in many bore wells supplying water to villages decrease in summer. It was creating water scarcity, he said.

“The proposal is awaiting the final clearance from the government,” he said.

Mr. Sathyanarayana said jack wells would be built upstream of vented dams.

Water from jack wells would be lifted and treated before pumping to overhead tanks from where it would be supplied to existing network of pipelines in villages. “No additional network of pipelines will be laid in villages now,” he said.

Mr. Sathyanarayana said the village water supply and sanitation committees would have to manage the schemes.

The Executive Engineer said in case if there were any vented dams built by Minor Irrigation department close to the villages identified for supplying surface water, water from it would be utilised without building new dams.

In addition to the Nethravathi, he said, water from the Phalguni (Gurupur river) would be drawn for supplying water to Ulaibettu, Mallur, Neerumarga, and Bondanthila villages in Mangalore taluk.

Likewise water from the Payaswini would be supplied to Ajjavara, Adpangaya, and Mullya Alur villages in Sullia taluk. Water from Gowri Hole in Sullia Taluk would be supplied to Bellare, Pilar, Peruvaje, and nearby villages, he said.

The panchayat has listed names of 68 villages which will get water from the Nethravathi and the villages which will get water from other rivers.
Courtesy- Thehindu