The removal of silt from the Baje dam on the Swarna, which supplies water to Udupi city and surrounding areas, is expected to start on May 23. There has been a pending demand to remove silt from the dam and the bed of the Swarna to increase the storage capacity of the dam to meet the drinking water needs of the city during the summer.
The city faces drinking water shortage during summer and the Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC) usually rations water in April and May.
Silt removal was also one of the major demands of the farmers groups, who felt that their crops were given the short shrift to meet the drinking water needs.
D. Manjunathaiah, CMC Commissioner, told The Hindu that the work would be done not just at the dam but also at about eight places on the river bed.
“We expect the water storage capacity of the dam to go up by at least 15 days due to the operation, which will start from May 23. This operation will go on for about a fortnight. We expect a large amount of silt to be removed,” he said.
Presently, the water level has decreased drastically in the Baje dam and is at the dead storage level.
With the result, the CMC is pumping water from big holes in the bed of the Swarna, which are filled with water.
Water is being pumped from big holes from Bhandarybettu to Mane and Puttige and from there to the Baje dam.
The CMC has divided 35 municipal wards into two parts and water is being supplied to each part on alternate days.
“Though the requirement of water is 23 million liters per day (mld) in the city, we are supplying 10 mld to 12 mld,” he said.
Meanwhile, the CMC is also drawing water from 14 borewells and four open wells in the city, which is supplied through 27 water tankers to colonies and independent houses.
These tankers are of 12,000 litres, 8,000 litres and 4,000 litres capacity. The 4,000 litre capacity tankers are used in places having narrow roads. “These water tankers are doing 90 to 97 trips per day,” Mr. Manjunathaiah said.
