Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Nov 12: For the first time, dredging work will be undertaken at the vented dam at Thumbay which supplies drinking water to the city. The initiative, undertaken by the district administration of Dakshina Kannada, is expected to help augment storage of water in this dam.

There is huge pile of sand below the water inside this dam. Recently, the union department of environment had permitted the district administration to undertake emergency dredging operation to remove this sand. To monitor and execute this work, a committee headed by the assistant commissioner with some city corporation officials as members was formed by deputy commissioner. The committee has been given permission to call for tenders, and thereafter, undertake dredging work.

In the past, sand accumulated in the well from where water is pumped from this dam was blocking the pumping work. Then sand accumulated in the well had been removed. Two weeks back, this operation was undertaken again by suspending water supply for a day. Currently, there is no idea about the quantum of sand that has got accumulated in this dam. The sand now extracted will be used for government works, as per the stand currently owned by the district administration here.

Although the water level now in Thumbay dam is five metres, actual water accumulation is much lower, considering that huge quantity of sand has got stored at its bottom. In case of the previous dam, all the gates were opened during the rainy season, allowing the sand to flow out. After the new dam was built, some of the gates are kept closed, giving rise to accumulation of sand.

Although the current dam allows storage of water up to a height of seven metres, currently the level of water has been maintained at five metres in view of problems which might be encountered by many farmers, if the level is raised. The corporation has decided to increase the level to six metres like in the last year, when the inflow gets reduced by November end.