Mangaluru: Water woes to the fore as inflow at Thumbe Dam subsides

Bantwal: The inflow of water to the Tumbe dam, which supplies water to Mangaluru city, has subsided considerably in the past few days. There are concerns that the city may run out of water if it does not rain early this year.

According to the data available, The water inflow may last only for another 10 days, after which all gates of the dam will be closed, storing water up to 6 meters, thereby storing up to 10.83 million cubic meters of water in the reservoir. As per estimates, the water will last only for 55 days for the city. The situation is further compounded by the increase in the rate of evaporation of water due to the rising summer heat.

Last year, the city rains in April-May spared the city from water shortage. Also, in 2020 and 2021 the demand for water was low as many industries were closed due to the COIVD lockdowns. With the economic activity returning to normalcy this year,  the demand for water from the industrial sector has risen considerably. There are also fears that the situation of 2016 and 2017, when the city faced severe water shortage, may arise again if the rains don’t arrive early this year. The authorities may also be forced to resort to water rationing to stretch the available water in the dam.

For now, the district administration has held meetings with officials from MSEZ, MCF, AMR Dam, and other industries regarding industrial water use. Another round of meetings will be held after the inflow at Thumbe stops completely. The issue of water rationing will be decided after these meetings.

The days ahead are very challenging for everyone. It remains to be seen if the Mangaluru City Corporation and the district administration will supply adequate potable water for city residents.