Madikeri:  Even as scanty rainfall has given signs of a severe water crisis in Madikeri, thunder showers in the last couple of days has brought some hope to the residents. Kundamestri natural sand bund and Kootupole River are the main sources of drinking water to more than 35,000 residents of Madikeri.

Even the Kootupole River has dried up causing concern among residents. The river has dried up early due to the scorching sun and depleting ground water levels.

Although Madikeri is one of the main catchment areas for river Cauvery, there is no connectivity with Cauvery for drinking or irrigation purposes. Some years ago, there was a proposal for getting connectivity to Cauvery at Bethri, which is 20km away from Madikeri. But the proposal was dropped due to heavy investment and Madikeri CMC opted for Kundamestri project.

The Kundamestri water supply project is run by Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWS&DB). The recent thunderstorms have damaged the pipes connecting Kundamestri water source near Galibeedu and the check dam too has got damaged which has severely hit drinking water supplies to Madikeri.

More than 20 Madikeri CMC employees are working overtime since yesterday to repair the damages to the Kundamestri bund and to reconstruct the bund to store water. The works have been speeded up and measures have been taken to ensure drinking water supply to  Madikeri for now.

Madikeri CMC Commissioner M.L. Ramesh said that the power lines had snapped due to thunderstorms and lightning. The CMC swung into action and started clearing uprooted trees, branches and off shoots for restoring power lines.

Now, the power lines are redrawn and the water project is connected with electricity, which has enabled pumping of water, he said and added that measures have been taken to ensure regular drinking water supply  to Madikeri.