The State Cabinet on Monday cleared the much-talked-about Paschima Vahini project, under which a series of vented dams or check dams will be built to augment water during summer in three coastal districts, by sanctioning ₹200 crore.
The estimated cost of the total project, which will benefit 19 Assembly constituencies in Dakshina Kananda, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts, is ₹1,394 crore. Discussions on the project has been going on for a decade, along with another idea of linking rivers in the coastal belt. With the government incurring the wrath of green activists for going ahead with the Netravati river diversion project (Yettinahole), Monday’s decision is being seen as an effort to silence the opposition to the project.
Despite heavy rainfall in the three districts, they are facing an unprecedented water crisis during summer, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra told presspersons.
Recycling water
As tier-II and tier-III cities and towns are facing severe water crisis during summer, the Cabinet also cleared the ‘urban waste water policy’ for recycling sewerage water in district headquarters and towns.
Under the policy, action plans would be prepared in each district for recycling sewerage water and this would result in mitigating water shortage, he said. On a pilot mode, Bengaluru city has implemented recycling waste water of the Koramangala-Challaghatta valley by establishing sewage recycling plants to help Kolar district. It was also decided to bring out a new policy for identification of Special Agriculture Production Zones for the benefit of farmers. Under the policy, suitable zones would be identified for various crops and fruits.
