Bagina offered to Nethravathi at Thumbe dam

The water impounded in Thumbe Vented Dam is sufficient to meet the water requirements of the residents of Mangaluru city and there will be no scarcity of water this summer, Mayor Bhaskar K Moily said on Wednesday.

He was speaking after offering ‘Bagina’ as a part of ‘Ganga Pooja’ to River Nethravathi at Thumbe Vented Dam on Wednesday.

Presently, 10.83 MCM (million cubic meters) of water is impounded at the dam. On the orders of deputy commissioner, water has been impounded at AMR dam up to a maximum limit of 14.25 MCM.

The water in the AMR dam would last for another 100 days, he said and added that the water in the AMR dam would be utilised if the water in Thumbe dam is insufficient to meet the needs of the residents. There is an inflow of 20 cusec in the dam, the Mayor added.

“On the directions of state government, the corporation had submitted a Rs 8 crore proposal for constructing a retaining wall in Thumbe dam,” he said.

MLC and Chief Minister’s Parliamentary Secretary Ivan D’Souza said if the funds for the sea water desalination project was utilised for increasing the storage capacity of the Thumbe dam, there would be no need for any desalination project.

Former minister B Ramanath Rai said that water in the Thumbe dam can be impounded up to a maximum level of seven feet. This year water has been impounded up to a level of six feet. The government had released Rs 15 crore as compensation for farmers whose lands were submerged when the height of Thumbe dam was raised.

MCC council whip Shashidhar Hegde, MCC Opposition Leader Premanand Shetty, MCC Standing Committee Presidents Pravinchandra Alva, Navin D’Souza and Latha Salian, Zilla Panchayat member Prakashchandra Shetty and MCC Commissioner B A Nazir were present on the occasion.