Udupi district unlikely to face water crisis this summer

The bountiful rain during the last monsoon has dispelled fears of a water crisis this summer. There is enough water in the water bodies that supply water to the citizens in Udupi town and also in interior villages.

Further, the authorities are expecting pre-monsoon showers in the month of April and May, to overcome water shortage.

Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr Naveen Bhat said the authorities have not received complaints on water shortage.

"We held a meeting of the Gram Panchayat authorities to chalk out plans to meet the water requirements during peak summer," he said.

There was a complaint from Koraga colonies on the erratic supply of water, said Dr Naveen.

"I have directed authorities to inform the families on the time of supply of water daily and make an announcement through the vehicles engaged in the door-to-door waste collection on the timings of water supply. The vehicles will also create awareness on judicious use of water as well," he added.

Following a meeting with the deputy commissioner, it has been decided to set aside funds to supply water through tankers in case of a water crisis, he said.

Even tenders will also be floated at the earliest, to ensure that there is no problem in the water supply, said the ZP CEO.

Even District In-charge Secretary Manoj Jain, at a meeting recently, had directed the officials to ensure that there was no water crisis.

Engineers have been directed to look into water demand and a task force team has been formed to look at the issues.

Wells dug

The most significant development was the digging of open wells under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the district.

A total of 2,326 wells have been dug and 124 old ponds have been rejuvenated to meet the water needs of the citizens.

Last year, the district did not face any water crisis as all the industrial units remained closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some pockets in the interior villages may face a water crisis after May if the pre-monsoon showers fail.

There is enough water in the dam that supplies water to Udupi town till May 25.

Udupi CMC Commissioner Uday Shetty said that the water level in the Baje reservoir is currently 5.8 metres and 1.5 metres in the Shiroor reservoir.

"The inflow of water to the reservoir has stopped. The stored water is enough for another 75 days. There are 18,400 water connections in Udupi town and the town is divided into three zones. The current timetable for releasing the water will be followed until there is an urgent need for water rationing," he said.

"There was a disruption in supplying water to elevated areas due to frequent disruption in power supply in the last two days. Now, it has been sorted out," he added.