Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 21: The government's proposed plan to bring River Sharavathi water to this water-starved city from Linganamakki reservoir that has been formed out of Sharavathi backwaters has been facing stiff opposition from Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts through which the river flows.

Deputy chief minister, Dr G Parameshwar, had announced on Thursday June 20 that permission has been accorded for the preparation of detailed project report relating to diverting water from Linganamakki reservoir to the city.

Parameshwar, speaking to media persons after holding meeting about the above plan with Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority officials, had said that as per the proposal, ten tmc of water would be brought to the city in the first phase for which Rs 12,500 crore would be required.

A committee headed by B N Tyagaraj had prepared a report in 2013 on the issue of bringing Linganamakki water to the city, but the report remained in cold storage for six years. The plan envisages pumping of water from Linganamakki reservoir to Yagachi from where water will flow to the city 170 km away through gravitation.

Dr G Parameshwar says that after power generation, water from Linganamakki reservoir drains into the sea. Hence he said that there is no question of encountering opposition from farmers. Sagar MLA, Hartalu Halappa, says that hundreds of villages living in Sharavathi valley area are starving of water and the government has not taken care to address their grievances. He questioned the rationale behind making the water flow to Bengaluru 400 km away under these circumstances.

Prof B Kumaraswamy, an environmentalist foom Shivamogga, termed the plan as unscientific, impractical and idiotic. He said lot of power would be needed to bring water from Linganamakki to Bengaluru that is on a higher gradient. He wanted to know where from willpower be brought once power generation stops at Linganamakki.

Those opposed to the plan have created a Whatsapp group through which they are listing out dangers posed by the project. They have also expressed their anger at the project through Save Sharavathi River Hashtag in Facebook and twitter. Sagar MLA Hartalu Halappa, handed over a petition to the chief minister at Bengaluru on Thursday, requesting to drop this plan and seeking full details of the proposed project. A consultation meeting of like-minded people has been convened at 5 pm on June 22 at 'Naukarara Bhavana', Sagar by local environment activist, Raghavendra, to hold discussions on the plan of action to be undertaken to oppose the project. Many are saying that people of Sagar near Linganamakki are not getting water properly and hence have questioned the justification for the said plan.