The much-awaited first stage of the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Supply Project will be inaugurated on September 6, 2024, the day of Gowri festival, and the whole project will be completed by 2027, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Major and Medium Irrigation D.K. Shivakumar said on Thursday (September 5).
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the project at Hebbanahalli in Sakleshpur taluk, where delivery chamber no. 4 is located.
Addressing reporters, Mr. Shivakumar said, “The first stage of the project enables pumping water to the Vani Vilas Sagar which is about 132 km away. The remaining 140 km would be completed under the second stage of the project and it will enable pumping water to Tumakuru.”
Mr. Shivakumar inspected the preparations for the inaugural ceremony at Hebbanahalli and Doddanagara (delivery chamber no. 3). He was accompanied by elected representatives of Hassan and senior officers. The officers have made arrangements for a homa as part of the ceremony.
What is the Yettinahole project?
The Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Supply Project envisages the diversion of west-flowing river water to meet the drinking water needs of seven parched districts in the South Karnataka region. It aims to lift 24.01 tmcft of water available during the monsoon months from four tributaries of the Netravati — Yettinahole, Kadumanehole, Kerihole, Hongadahalla — in Sakleshpur taluk.
The first stage of the project which includes the construction of eight weirs, pump houses, and pipeline work has been completed. The project is estimated to cost ₹23,251.66 crore, of which the State government has already spent ₹16,076 crore.
Whom will it benefit?
The project is expected to address the drinking water woes of the people in the seven drought-prone districts of Kolar, Chickballapur, Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Hassan, Tumakuru, and Chikkamagaluru.
A total of 24 tmcft of water will be used to fill 527 tanks and supply drinking water to 75 lakh people in 6,657 villages and 38 towns.
Opposition to the project
The project work that began in 2014 attracted criticism from environmentalists and the local people of Sakleshpur, who believe the project would be detrimental to the eco-sensitive Western Ghats. The local people blame the project for the recent landslips along the Nationally Highway 75.
Opposition BJP has also expressed doubts that the project may not yield the quantum of water that is being projected by the government. They allege that though scientific institutions had made it clear that the project would yield only three to four tmcft of water, the government had taken it up only to benefit contractors on the basis of a private report that had projected availability of 24 tmcft of water.
Dam safety report
A dam safety committee has been formed under the leadership of former CWC Chairman A.K. Bajaj. The committee has started its work and would submit an audit report of safety of all dams in the State.
Published - September 05, 2024 09:34 pm IST
