To meet the water requirement of the city, the district administration is sinking 15 borewells, four of which are already functional. As many as 20 water tankers have also been requisitioned, district in-charge Minister U.T. Khader said here on Sunday.
Talking to reporters here, Mr. Khader said that with water being supplied for four days in a week, storage in the Thumbe Vented Dam can be used till June 10, when the monsoon is set to commence. As people face problems in storing water during the non-supply days, the district administration has arranged for 20 tankers to supply water. Five more tankers will be added shortly. These tankers were getting water from 14 open wells, he said.
The Minister said that reports by geologists were taken before granting permission to sink 15 borewells. Of these 15, six have been dug and four have yielded good water. “We have asked for report from geologists about other areas where borewells can be sunk,” he said. A secretary-level officer was reviewing the water condition across the State on a daily basis, he added.
Not agreeing with statements of activists that Yettinahole water diversion and other irrigation projects in the Western Ghats have led to the the Netravathi going dry, Mr. Khader said that water scarcity was because of poor pre-monsoon showers in the catchment areas. He ruled out a review of the Yettinahole project.
The Minister said that he will review the water situation here on Monday.
