Karnataka
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Mangalore: 'Yettinahole Water Diversion Project Misleading, Unrealistic'
- Sun, Sep 02 2012 03:41:54 PM
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, Sep 2: "The feasibility report on ‘Yettinahole Water Diversion Project’ recently approved by the government of Karnataka is misleading, unrealistic and based on wrong data," alleged former MLA Vijaykumar Shetty, president of Karavali Jeevanadi Netravati Rakshana Samiti at a press meet here on Sunday September 2.
"It is fundamentally an ‘Inter-basin water transfer’ proposal for diverting water from the major tributaries of Netravati river, namely Yettinahole, Kadumanehole, Kerihole and Mongada Halla to the basin on the eastern side of Western Ghats. The name of ‘Netravati River Water’ has been deliberately avoided and the tributaries are projected as independent rivers. It is a blatant attempt to deceive the people of the river basin and the coastal Karnataka," said Shetty.
He added that the proposal which was originally initiated to divert the ‘excess water’ from Netravati, and subsequently named as diversion of ‘Peak Flow’ from ‘Yettinahole’ river, is currently proposing to divert the ‘flood water’ from Sakleshpur (west) to Kolar and Chikkaballapur (east). "How can there be flood from Netravati or its tributaries in Sakleshpur, which is outside the Netravati (or Yettinahole) river basin?" he questioned and said the flood normally occurs only in the flood plains in the lower basin or near the river mouth and not at the origin of the river. The term ‘Flood Water’ is being deliberately misused here to betray the riparian people in the basin.
"The feasibility report lacks fundamental study such as the water needs of the riparian population, environment impact assessment, damage to the Western Ghats and economic feasibility as the total cost of the project stands at Rs 8,600 crore. The rainfall data has been taken from unreliable private agencies instead of IMD. The proposal consists of small dams/barrages at 8 different locations in the Western Ghats region, about 100 km-long high pressure pipeline distributed in the forest area, and a huge pumping arrangement requiring 370 MW of power," he said.
"The proposal is utterly misleading. Ironically, the main purpose of providing drinking water to the people of Kolar and Chikkaballapur gets the last priority in the project, and it is really doubtful whether they will get any water at all," observed Vijaykumar Shetty.
Shetty urged that the government should immediately withdraw the proposal. M G Hegde, P V Mohan, Vasudeva Bolur among others were present.