Will new undergound lines bring back the glory of Gujjarakere?

MCC aims to plug seepage of sewage into the water body

After spending nearly Rs 3 crore for the rejuvenation of Gujjarakere in the last few years, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) will begin replacement of old underground sewage network in the surroundings at an estimated cost of Rs 2.98 crore.

Gujjarkere is spread over 3.43 acres of land on survey number 721/1. It is said that the water body has a history of 1,800 years and is believed that Natha cult seer Gorakshanatha had built it for his Guru Matsyendranatha. It was called as Gurujanara Kere and eventually came to be known as Gujjarakere.

A sum of Rs 67 lakh would be utilised for relaying the underground (UGD) line from Arekerebail to Mulihithlu wetwell.The UGD line from Arekerebail to Mulihithlu wetwell was old and broken and was facing problems such as sewage was flowing out of manholes posing a threat to the hygiene in the area. The capacity of the UGD lines would be increased keeping in mind next 30 years.

In addition, the work on UGD line from Jeppu Market to Gujjarakere Main Road, leading to Mangalamba Katte, would be taken up at a cost of Rs 72 lakh. The UGD line from in front of Karnataka Bank in Bolar-Alugundi-Naufal Apartment would be developed at a cost of Rs 79 lakh and the UGD line from Dasappa Shetty Compound to Gujjarakere Arakerekatte would also be developed at a cost of Rs 80 lakh. Due to the old and worn out sewage line, the sewage was seeping into the Gujjarakere, thus polluting the water body.

The Gujjarakere Theertha Samrakshana Vedike has been fighting to save Gujjarakere, one of the largest water bodies in the city.

It has been demanding the MCC to address the problem of plugging the seepage of sewage, before taking up any work on rejuvenation of the water body since 2001.

Reply from PMO

The Vedike wrote to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and informed him about the condition of the lake.The lake is crying for attention, the forum said and urged the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to direct the authorities to rejuvenate the water body.
In a reply dated October 4, the PMO’s section officer V B Hariharan said the complaint has been forwarded to chief secretary, Government of Karnataka, for appropriate action.

The PMO also directed the chief secretary to send an action taken reply to the applicant and also upload its copy on the PMO portal.

Anguish

When contacted, Nemu Kottary of the Vedike expressed anguish over the lack of efforts by officials in cleaning the Gujjarakere.

Kottary said the condition of the lake has not changed a bit since 2001, though massive funds were spent in the name of its rejuvenation.

Though the officials agree that there was seepage of sewage water into the lake, they have so far not taken action to stop it, he said.

The sewage was overflowing in the area a week ago, causing inconvenience to the general public. It looks like the MCC does not have the sketch of the sewage line that enters the water body to plug it, he remarked.

“If the water body is rejuvenated through removal of silt and is maintained properly, then the MCC can use its water to meet the drinking water needs of the city,” he said.

Repairs so far

The MCC has so far spent around Rs 3 crore for the rejuvenation of Gujjarakere.
In 2008-09, Rs 99.50 lakh was released to take the lake’s rejuvenation. In 2009-10, once again Rs 99.50 lakh was released for the work on construction of stone steps and compound wall. In 2011, Rs 25 lakh was released to check the seepage of sewage into the lake.

In 2015, the Minor Irrigation Department took up the work at a cost of Rs 1 crore to remove the silt. They had cleared weeds in the lake and stopped the work a few months ago following seepage of sewage water into the lake.

Though the MCC has decided to take up the work on UGD lines in the surroundings of the lake, the Vedike members are not sure whether this would help in bringing back the past glory of Gujjarakere.