JOIN USThe Cauvery Neeravari Nigam (CNN), which is tasked with supplying drinking water to Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and other towns and villages from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) dam, is drawing up plans to ensure sufficient supply in the summer.
With the water level in the dam at a record low following severe drought and the failure of monsoon in Kodagu, Hassan and Mysuru districts, the authorities have no option but to lift the dead storage using water pump sets. The current water level at the dam is 11.46 tmcft, of which 4.4 tmcft is dead storage. This means, only 7.06 tmcft of water is available for use.
On March 4, 2016, the dam had 17.58 tmcft of water, including the dead storage. Although the KRS dam received 1.5 tmcft from the Hemavathi reservoir last week, the demand-supply gap remains skewed.
A source said 2 tmcft of water would have to be released every month for drinking purposes while the monthly inflow into the dam could be just 1.5 tmcft till June when the monsoon begins.
Adding to the problem is the lack of power supply at places where water pump sets are planned to be installed. The Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) says it will need at least six months to lay an electric line there.
In the absence of power supply, the use of electric generators will be inevitable. CNN officials had planned to procure 17 pump sets to lift water for 45 days at an estimated cost of Rs 45 crore. But the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) turned down the proposal, citing heavy expenditure.