Drought-affect: Officials inspect water processing unit in Shivamogga

Shivamogga: As water crisis looms in the district a water processing unit in Mandli, on the outskirts of the city was inspected by the Commissioner of Shivamogga City Corporation Charulatha, Mayor Latha Ganesh, Deputy Mayor BS Channabasappa, and officials of Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board on Friday, June 7.

Addressing media after the inspection Shivamogga City Commissioner Charulatha said that this year the district is facing one of the worst water crisis.

She further added, “As of now, there is sufficient water but if we don’t get rain in the next 7-10 days, we will have to take measures to identify where we can reduce supply so citizens aren’t affected.”

Amidst prevailing water crisis in Shivamogga district, environmentalists in the area termed the district forest administration’s action of planting one lakh saplings on the occasion of World Environment day illogical as the monsoon is delayed in the state.

Several districts of the state have been officially declared as drought-affected.

Reportedly, the combined live storage in all four reservoirs of the Cauvery basin — Krishnaraja Sagar, Kabini, Hemavathi and Harangi — is 13.93 tmcft as against their full live storage capacity of 104.55 tmcft.

To combat the crisis, the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has also ordered Karnataka to release 9.19 tmcft of water for June from the Biligundlu reservoir on the interstate border to Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu.