Water crisis: CUK curtails academic year

 Central University of Karnataka (CUK) has advanced its academic and examination programmes for the year 2015-16 by about one-and-a-half-months due to acute shortage of water on its campus .

Normally, the academic year extends till mid or end of May. However, this year it was curtailed to April 15 by completing all the classes and examinations. The campus has more or less been vacated, except for a few engineering students and vacational staff. According to VC H M Maheshwaraiah, the advancement of the calendar has not affected the academics or other activities as the decision was taken well in advance by the Academic Council.

“We had planned it much earlier as we had been facing severe water problem. Accordingly, December holidays were cut short and classes were held on Saturdays and Sundays also. Had we not planned this, there would have been a havoc in the campus,” Prof Maheshwaraiah said.

The vice chancellor said that a few universities, including the University of Hyderabad which is also a central university, have followed a similar system owing to acute water scarcity. “We had no other alternative,” Maheshwaraiah quipped.

The University is poised to reopen by the end of June and if the water shortage continues, the university authorities may have to think of postponing the reopening.
Amarja reservoir, which is about 15 km away from the CUK campus, is the major source of water. However, due to poor storage in the past two years, the supply has been badly affected. Moreover, the same source will have to supply water to Aland town and about eight other villages, besides meeting the irrigation needs.