Vijayanagar water tank gets a facelift under AMRUT scheme

If all goes well, the renovated Central Storage Reservoir (CSR), popularly known as Vijayanagar water tank, will be dedicated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, by this month-end.

The Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board has taken up the renovation of the old and dilapidated CSR, under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) Scheme, at a cost of Rs 27.27 crore.

The CSR at Vijayanagar, from where the filtered water is stored and supplied to the city, was in the news for all the wrong reasons like dead birds, debris and wild growth of algae in the stored water. The roof had also collapsed at many places, inviting the wrath of the people.

The water from here is supplied to 35 percent areas of the city, including Krishnaraja and Chamaraja Mohallas, Hebbal, Metagalli and surrounding areas. The residents can now heave a sigh of relief as they will be supplied clean water soon, thanks to the AMRUT Scheme.

Speaking to DH, N Prasanna Murthy, executive engineer, Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board, said, the renovation of 4 Million Gallon (MG) capacity Master Balancing Reservoir (MBR), which was in a total dilapidated condition, has been renovated under AMRUT Scheme. Now, the tank has been given a facelift with roof slabs, separate columns, concretised flooring raft, concrete jacketing for side walls, and drain facility on the columns. Moreover, the ventilators are covered with stainless steel mesh, which will not allow even mosquitoes to enter the tank, forget birds, he said.

The whole tank is covered with Galvalume sheets. This coating has superior corrosion resistance, which gives it two to four times the life span over traditional galvanised metal. The new system has inter-linking pipeline, which is a common manifold linking facility that connects all the four central storage reservoirs. This enables uninterrupted water supply 24x7, he said.

DRS Infotech, an Andhra Pradesh-based construction company, has been given the contract. After completion of the 4MG tank, works will be taken up on the renovation of other two tanks (2 MG and 6 MG capacity). In all, Rs 10.60 crore is being spent for renovating three tanks and Rs 16.67 crore for the construction of two new tanks, including a High Level Reservoir (HLR) at Yadavagiri. The renovation of 4 MG tank would be over by February and the new tanks by March, Prasanna said.

The main objective of the renovation and construction of new CSRs under Amrut Scheme is to prevent contamination, provide safe drinking water to the public, and add storage capacity.

However, civic awareness on judicious use of water is important. People should be educated on the importance of water, and most importantly pay water bills on time, says Prasanna Murthy.

Mysuru is among 27 cities in Karnataka, which has been covered under AMRUT Scheme. The Centre has allocated a total of Rs 156 crore for improving water supply in the city.