The district administration is all set to dredge the Thumbe vented dam backwaters and it will offer twin benefits — enhancing the storage capacity of the dam for the next season, and providing abundant, clean sand for construction activities.
Deputy Commissioner S. Sasikanth Senthil said the work will commence in about four days and could continue even during the rainy season if there was more accumulated silt.
Though the capacity enhancement will not immediately help tide over the water crisis, it will definitely be of much help in the coming days, the DC said.
Dredging machines had already arrived and would commence the work. A committee, headed by the Mangaluru Assistant Commissioner, will monitor the activities, Mr. Senthil said.
The quality of sand that will be got from dredging will be utilised for government works and the excess, if any, will be made available to the public, he said.
Since sand extraction activities will come to a halt from June 1 and will remain suspended for three months in rivers under the coastal regulation zones (CRZ), the sand from Thumbe will help to fill the void.
The administration can manage water supply to Mangaluru with the present rationing system till June 10 from the available water in Thumbe, Mr. Senthil said.
He hoped that by then the region would receive pre-monsoon as well as monsoon showers to come out of the crisis.
