Drinking water needs of areas on the southern bank of the Netravathi, from Konaje to Ullal under Mangaluru Assembly constituency, and a bridge connecting the southern bank with the National Highway 75 are likely to materialise in about two years with the Minor Irrigation Department commencing the construction work of a 520-m-long vented dam-cum-bridge between Adyar on NH 75 and Harekala.
An initiative of the then Minister and now Mangaluru MLA U.T. Khader, the Adyar-Harekala vented dam-cum-bridge would be built at a cost of about ₹ 174 crore, work order for which was issued to contractor G. Shankar, Udupi, in November last. Having got clearance for the project from the Karnataka State Coastal Zone Management Authority in March, the contractor recently commenced the work.
Besides providing drinking water to the fast developing regions of Mangaluru Assembly constituency, the bridge would offer a breather to thousands of residents of Konaje, Deralakatte, Mudupu, for a faster commute to NH 75 as well as to the city. Hitherto, they depended upon road transport via Thokkottu or boats at different Dhakkes. The education hub around Deralakatte entirely depended upon fast-depleting groundwater hitherto.
The structure being built in the CRZ of the Netravathi would submerge 19.2 hectares of land, including agricultural, a major portion being on the Harekala side, said Department’s Assistant Executive Engineer in Mangaluru K. Krishnakumar.
Land acquisition proceedings would soon begin, he told The Hindu.
Having commenced the work, the contractor was also in the process of fabricating girders for the bridge, getting gates for vents and other prerequisites, he said. Coffer bunds, for one third portion of the riverbed at a time, would be erected to facilitate the dam construction.
Though given two years time for completing the project, the contractor was confident of completing it ahead of the deadline, latest by the end of 2022, according to Mr. Krishnakumar.
While the department’s responsibility was to build the structure and provide irrigation facilities to about 260 hectares of land in Harekala, Pavoor and surrounding villages, the local authorities or the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department would arrange for drinking water supply, he said.