A total of six lakes in the district will be developed at the cost of Rs. 4.75 crore said Shivaraj Tangadagi, Minor Irrigation Minister, here on Wednesday.
Addressing presspersons, he said development of the lakes would involve desilting, removal of weeds, strengthening bunds and clearing canals of blockages and refuse. “In the State, 194 lakes are being developed, out of which six have been chosen in the district. The tender process is underway,” he said.
Among the lakes identified are Gujjarakere in Mangaluru South MLA constituency and Ganjimath lake in Mangaluru North.
The development of lakes will be a priority, with the government aiming to develop one lake annually in every constituency, said Mr. Tangadagi.
Similarly, the protection of lakes would also be in focus.
The rules for a Lake Development Authority – a committee headed by the Minister which will look at the development and protection of lakes – were being framed by the Legal Department, he said.
“Throughout the month of January, we will conduct a drive to ensure the lakes falling in our department are cleared out of encroachments,” said Mr. Tangadagi. Out of 1,973 lakes coming under the Department in 17 districts of south Karnataka, 68 lakes had been encroached upon, he said.
Check damsAccording to the department, a total of 266 works – including construction of check dams, barrages, embankment construction, among others – were being executed in the district with a sanctioned budget of Rs. 75 crore. Of these, 80 works have been completed, while the remaining will be completed before March, 2015, said the Minister.
When completed, these dams are expected to irrigate nearly 5,244.75 hectares of agriculture land in the district; while, nearly 4.5kms of embankment will be built as flood protection.
“The department has focused on West flowing rivers in the coastal districts, and this year alone, Rs. 191 crore has been sanctioned for 785 small damns and embankments all along the coast,” said Mr. Tangadagi.
