Two more pumps needed to pump Kabini water to Mysuru city: MP

Mysore/Mysuru: Link works to deliver drinking water to R.T. Nagar and Vasanthnagar Layouts must be completed within a week, directed District Minister S.T. Somashekar. The Minister on Monday inspected the linking works to R.T. Nagar from Kabini River and to Vasanthnagar from Melapura Water Project through German Press Reservoir.

He asked the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) officers to take up the works on war-footing and complete the same within a week. From the Melapura project, 16 MLD (Million Litres per Day) water is supplied to Mysuru city every day and from that, two to three MLD water has to be supplied to Vasanthnagar Layout. Similarly, Kabini water must also be supplied to R.T. Nagar, Somashekar said.

During his visit, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha highlighted that of the 290 MLD water that is supplied to Mysuru daily, the city actually requires only 190 MLD. The rest of the water goes through pilferage and there is no accountability. He asked the officers to plug leakage and pilferage.

“A special team has to be formed to identify where the water is leaking and also illegally tapped. Also, a physical survey has to be carried out to identify the wastage to bring in accountability,,” Pratap Simha opined. 

MLA L. Nagendra, Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Chairman H.V. Rajeev,  Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr. Bagadi Gautham, MUDA Commissioner Dr. D.B. Natesh, MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy and engineers were present. 

Water needs of growing city

At the Irrigation Consultative Committee (ICC) meeting of Kabini Dam, chaired by Minister Somashekar and Chamarajanagar District Minister Suresh Kumar on Monday, MP Pratap Simha said that two more pumps must be set up to supply water to Mysuru from Kabini Dam keeping in mind the growth of the city.

“Additional water will be required to Mysuru as the borders are expanding. Like Bengaluru was expanded to form Bruhat Bengaluru, Mysuru too has to be expanded to form Bruhat Mysuru and for this, more and more villages have to be included. As it is, many layouts have been formed on the outskirts but several of them are facing severe water shortage,” Simha noted. 

Two more pumps to draw water from Kabini have to be set up and this will be inevitable seeing the growth of Mysuru. Officials must plan ahead and initiate the works now, the MP said. 

Water to be released to lakes

The ICC later resolved to release water immediately so that over 54 lakes coming under the command area of Kabini Dam can get water. 

Making the announcement, Somashekar said that Kabini Dam’s current water storage and details of water released in the previous years were studied before arriving at a decision. 

“Suresh Kumar had spoken to me on the issue of water reaching the lakes located in the tail end of the canals. I have told officers to take up repairs of irrigation canals and also desilting them. MLAs have warned of staging protests if water doesn’t reach the lakes in the tail end of the canals by July-end,” he noted before asking the officers to release water immediately. 

The Minister said that over one tmcft of water would be released in the next 15 days. The Dam’s storage now stands at 14.5 tmcft and of it, 5 tmcft of water will be used for irrigation purposes, he said. The Minister said that the proposed botanical gardens at Kabini Dam on the lines of Brindavan Gardens would be taken up. Funds are being released to the irrigation works to the tune of Rs. 80 crore in Nanjangud taluk, he added. 

MLAs B. Harshavardan, N. Mahesh, Anil Chikkamadu, Ashwin Kumar, Mysuru DC Dr. Bagadi Gautham, Chamarajanagar DC Dr. M.R. Ravi; Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Chief Engineer Shankaregowda and MUDA Chairman H.V. Rajeev were present during the meeting.