Demand for water in the city leaves farms dry!

Bantwal: In the backdrop of the fall in the water flow in Netravati River, Mescom has passed a notice stating that electricity required to run the pump sets used by the farmers will be provided for only three days in a week from April 11^th onwards.  The demand for water at the city is acting like a drought situation for cultivators and their plantations.

14 villages lie on either banks along the path of Netravati River including Thumbay, Kallige, B Mooda, B Kasba, Navuru, Maninalkuru, Sajipamunnuru, Sajipamuda, Panemangaluru, Narikombu, Shambur, Baltila, Barimaru and Kade Shivalaya. The farmers here depend on the river for their plantation and draw water from the river through pump sets. However, now they are now facing a problem.

As per the present order, water can be drawn only three times in a week but there is no information regarding the day or time period. There is also no information if the same rule applies to commercial as well as food crops. It is not clear if this order is applicable to government sponsored cultivation and drinking water towers.

15 days have passed since the order was passed by the Deputy Commissioner. Mescom had been delivering this duty till now. There is an argument that like last year, if there is rain there will be water flow. But as there is no water, they have come forward with the notice.

Within Shambur AMR dam limits, MRPL, SEZ make use of 500 hp for industrial use. And totally, 1,000 hp capacity pumps are being used to draw water.

As per calculations, 1,000 hp is being used to draw water for industrial use while 120 pump sets used by the farmers’ amount to 618 hp. Thus, the capacity used by the farmers to draw water is 318 hp lesser in comparison to the ones used for industrial purpose. Hence, it is being said that first, the water being supplied to the industries must be stopped and not the water being used by the farmers.

Within Thumbay dam limits, 100 hp water is being distributed to Sajipamannur, Madivalapadu and Mangalore University, 90 hp water is being used by Infosys in Sajipamuda, 60 hp is being used to draw water for cultivation at Sajipamunnur and thus a total of 250 hp is being used.

Order passed

Order has been passed to Bantwal Mescom sub division 1,2 to cut the connection of 120 IP sets at the 2 bunds along the path of the first phase of the river. Of them, 20 IP sets are of 10 hp capacity, 44 IP sets are 5 hp and 66 IP sets have a total capacity of 3 hp. Thus all the 120 IP sets together amount to 200 + 220 + 198 = 618 hp of usage.

Water level

Thumbay dam: 5.80 meters as of April 11^th

Shambur dam: 0 as of April 11^th