14 villages near Malavur ensured drinking water

DK's first-ever multi-village drinking water project commissioned

Mangaluru taluk has been declared one of the several drought-hit taluks in the state, but a multi-village drinking water supply project was dedicated on Tuesday.

A check dam constructed across River Gurupura (Phalguni), at Malavur in the taluk was commissioned as part of the project, making it a first-of-its-kind project to be started in the district.

According to the information provided by the Department of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation, the project was completed at an estimated cost of Rs 42.5 crore. It will ensure drinking water to a 56,000 people in 66 residential areas of 14 villages coming under eight gram panchayats in and around Malavur. The villages to benefit from the project are Bajpe, Jokatte, Malavur, Kenjar, Permude, Kutthethur, Moodushedde, Padushedde, Thenka Ekkar, Badaga Ekkar, Bala, Kalavar, Surinje and Delanthabettu.

The 199-metre long dam has a six-metre wide well for the jackwell and water purification unit with five MLD capacity, near Kenjar. The capacity of the ground-level water reservoir is 10.15 lakh litres of water. The elevated water tank at Siddartha Nagar has three lakh litres capacity, while at Bajpe Tarikamba it is 2.5 lakh litres capacity.

In his address, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment B Ramanath Rai said, “A similar ongoing project at Sangabettu is expected to be completed within a week, while the work at Kinnigoli may be prolonged owing to the unscientific works undertaken by a Hyderabad-based firm that had bagged the tender. If the ongoing work at Ulayibettu is completed, we can address the drinking water needs of Bantwal taluk, which also has been declared drought-hit. Two more such projects are sanctioned for the district.”

‘Use water carefully’
Rai called for judicious use of water, with the future certain to bring in burning issues on the drinking water front, which is now being witnessed between different states.

Rajya Sabha member Oscar Fernandes said, “The success of the Malavur water project will be the posit for more such plans, with not many success stories in the past in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district. It will help in recharging the water table and augment water supply to open wells and also borewells.”

Earlier, Moodbidri MLA K Abhayachandra Jain recalled the birth of the initiative starting from Rs five crore, that went through various phases before finally becoming a reality. The presidents of all eight gram panchayats then had raised donations up to Rs two lakh each then, only towards funding the project, he reminisced.