Unending woes: Hurdles ahead of new water project

MP Vishwanath says a meeting of 'connected' depts necessary

A high level committee meeting will be chaired by the Chief Minister, before forwarding the Detailed Project Report of the proposed Integrated Bulk Water Supply project to Mysore city, at Hale Undavadi, to the Ministry of Urban Development. The project is being taken up under the transition phase Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission(JnNURM).

MP A H Vishwanath, who visited the proposed project site, here on Thursday, said that a high level committee meeting was necessary since the project required clearances from ‘connected’ departments, such as irrigation, geology and the environment. The project will tap into River Cauvery, about two kilometres upstream of Krishnarajasagar reservoir.

The meeting has to be held soon, as there has been a considerable delay in clearing the projects under JnNURM, he said.

Even the project cost is estimated to be Rs 327 crore, which may escalate to Rs 355-360 crore, he added.

Project

“The project will ensure that even regions of the proposed greater Mysore and 92 villages around the city will get water,” he said. The project will be implemented in two stages, with the project equipped to supply 150 MLD of water to the city at the completion of each stage.

He said that the project was a suitable alternative, and will ensure a constant supply of water to the city, even during times of crisis.

Explaining the project, executive engineer of Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB), K P Jayaram said that the Hale Undawadi project ensured 100 per cent availability of water, as compared to Sethikatte pumping station, in the downstream of KRS reservoir.

A total of 167.12 acres of land was acquired for the project, of which 37 acres was government land. Since, Hale Undawadi was at a higher elevation from Sethikatte, water can be pumped to the city with a reduced pumping cost, Jayaram said.

Circular ring

Vishwanath said that a pipeline, along the lines of the Ring Road, connecting all water pumping stations must be installed, to ensure efficient water supply to city.
Responding to questions, Vishwanath said that even he was kept under the dark about the mega project, and learnt about it only during a corporation meeting recently.
DH News Service