Khader tells MCC to supply water for next two days

The City Corporation will supply water daily to its citizens till April 30, said District In-charge Minister U T Khader.

The water level at the Thumbe vented dam has reached 4.9 meters, said the minister.

He was addressing reporters after taking stock of water availability at the Thumbe dam, which is the main drinking water source to Mangaluru, on Saturday.

The minister said, “After April 30, the availability of water will be checked. There will be a discussion with experts, officials and elected representatives, before taking a call on rationing of water supply.”

“Looking at the availability of water at the Thumbe dam, if the water is supplied daily, then it will be sufficient till May 28. If the present rationing system – of 96-hour water supply and 48-hour discontinuing of water supply – is followed, then the water in the dam will be sufficient till June 15,” said Khader.

The minister added, “If water is not supplied, it will get evaporated. If the water supply is rationed, then people will store in huge quantities. We will take a suitable decision shortly, keeping all the aspects in mind. The authorities want to ensure supply of water to the residents during summer.”

Khader also appealed to the citizens to cooperate with the authorities.

“The inflow of water into the Thumbe vented dam is nil for now. Water from the AMR dam has already been released into the Thumbe dam. If the AMR dam gets water, then it will be released to the Thumbe vented dam once again,” said the minister.

“As the model code of conduct is in force, I have written to the Election Commission seeking permission to hold a meeting with the deputy commissioner. The permission is awaited,” Khader said.

He added that the state government has released Rs 6.25 crore to tackle the drinking water crisis in the district.

“Measures have been taken to repair the 48 open wells in the district. Further, 134 borewells have been repaired. If the crisis aggravates, then water from private borewells will be utilised for the supply. The City Corporation has already started supplying water to eight affected wards, using eight tankers. Water is being supplied through tankers to 13 Gram Panchayats in Mangaluru taluk,” he explained.

Khader also said that the water storage level in Thumbe dam will be increased from six metres to seven metres height.

“The deputy commissioner has already been asked to hold talks with the owners of the land that will be submerged in water if the storage level is increased. The government is committed to providing compensation for the submerged land,” the minister added.