The Hindu

• Unseasonable rain has mitigated water scarcity for now
• Mayor yet to take a delegation to Governor
• Estimated cost likely to escalate to Rs. 50 crore

Mangalore, Apr 14: Unseasonable rain in the district last month has mitigated the scarcity of drinking water here this summer.

But for the Mangalore City Corporation, the task of ensuring continuous water supply is far from over because its proposal to construct a new vented dam at Thumbay to increase the storage capacity is hanging in balance.

The vented dam across the river Nethravati at Thumbay near B.C. Road is the main source of drinking water to Mangalore.

Mayor Ganesh Hosabettu, while performing “Ganga puja” at Thumbay on February 22, stated that the BJP-Janata Dal (Secualr) coalition Government had sanctioned Rs. 40 crore to the proposed vented dam with the concurrence of Finance Department. The entire amount was required to build the new dam. But the Governor wanted the corporation to share 50 per cent of the cost on its own.

The Mayor stated that a delegation of councillors and political leaders would urge the Governor to release Rs. 40 crore.

‘No decision yet’

“So far no delegation has met the Governor,” a senior official in the corporation, on the condition of anonymity, told The Hindu. The Government had not yet decided who should take up the construction. Initially, the Government had planned to entrust the construction to Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB) or Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. “No progress has been made in this regard,” the official said.

The proposal lost its momentum after the fall of coalition Government. With the announcement of elections to the Assembly now, the fate of the dam would be at the mercy of next Government, the official said.

He said that with the recent increase in steel prices, the cost of construction would go up. “The cost of the proposed dam may escalate to Rs. 50 crore.”

“We are providing water connections to at least 10 establishments a day,” the official said and added that with the increase in construction activities, the demand for water was also increasing.

At present, the dam at Thumbay is overflowing, thanks to the spells of rain last month. During April last year, the water level at the dam was below 11 ft. The dam is 13 ft high, the official said.

The new vented dam would be seven metres high in the downstream of the existing one which is four metres high. With this increase, the water in Thumbay dam would last for 200 days against the present 20 days, the official said.