M’luru city may not face water shortage: Mayor

• Thumbay dam: Ganga Pooja, submission of Bagina

Mangaluru: Presently, water is amassed at the height of 6 meter at Thumbay vented dam and around 14.25 million cubic meters of water lies stored at the AMR dam which can be used for the next 150 days. Therefore, there is no possibility of water shortage being faced by the city this time, said Mayor Bhaskar K.

He was speaking after joining in with the representatives of the people and officials at the Thumbay vented dam for the Ganga Pooja and offering of Bagina to Netravali River on Wednesday.

Water stored at Thumbay dam will last for 50 days (6 meters) and for 100 days at AMR dam (14.25 mcft). The deputy commissioner has directed for the storage of the maximum amount of water at AMR dam. Currently, the inflow of the river is at 20 cumec (1 cumec = a cubic meter per second flow of water) and hence, during the summer the city will not face a problem with the supply of drinking water. The public must not waste water and use it judiciously, he said.

Former minister B Ramanath Rai spoke and said that presently, the inflow of water at the dam is at a higher rate. There is opportunity to store water for another meter. This time, facility has been done tp provide water to Kallige village in Bantwal as well, he said.

MLC Ivan D’Souza spoke on the occasion and said instead of starting a desalination plant, increase the basic facilities at Thumbay dam. Then more water can be stored here itself, he observed.

MCC council chief whip Shashidhar Hegde, opposition leader Premananda Shetty, commissioner Mohammed Nazeer, president of Standing Committee on Taxes and Finance Naveen D’Souza, Praveen Chandra Alva, Prakash Chandra Shetty, Lata Salian were present.