JOIN USThe State government has constituted a technical committee to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on supplying drinking water to 44 taluks in seven districts as proposed by the G S Paramasivaiah Committee.
The government has issued an order in this regard on November 23 and instructed the committee to focus on measures for rejuvenation of 9,000 tanks in the 44 taluks of Bangalore Rural, Ramanagara, Tumkur, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Hassan and Chikmagalur districts. Irrigation expert Paramasivaiah, who has been appointed chairman of the new technical committee, told Deccan Herald that retired engineers V T Muddihal, Ramprasad, A S Sadashivaiah and Y Lingaraju and Guruprasad, a senior official from the department of Water Resources, will be members of the panel.
Preparation of DPR
The report submitted by the earlier committee, which was also headed by Paramasivaiah, would serve as the basis for the preparation of the DPR.
Paramasivaiah said the basic idea was to draw 24 TMC feet of water in the initial phase from various rivers. Subsequently, 50 TMC feet of water would be drawn from the River Nethravathi and another river that flows in Kodagu district; and 15 TMC feet from the River Hemavathi.
Water will be drawn only to meet the drinking water needs of these districts.
Even several areas under the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike would get adequate water.
Permanent facilities
In the long run, permanent irrigation facilities would be created in these districts, he said.
“The drinking water scheme will be implemented in five to six years. The scheme will be cost-effective and it will not affect the forests as is being feared. I am confident that there will be no hurdles in implementing the scheme,” he said.