Water rationing by April-end if no rain in catchment areas in Mangaluru

MANGALURU: Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) may have to resort to water rationing in the city by April end, if the catchment areas do not receive pre-monsoon showers. On Monday, MCC’s dam at Thumbe had 5.1 metres of water against the maximum level of 6 metres.
According to authorities, the city corporation will have to adopt water rationing in 60 wards if catchment areas do not receive rain when the water level in the dam is reduced to 4 metres.
Chief whip of MCC council Premanand Shetty told TOI that the water level in the dam, which was 5 metres on Sunday, rose to 5.1 metres on Monday.
“Some of the catchment areas have received mild showers and this led to a minute increase in the inflow of water to the dam. The water level in Thumbe dam will reduce to 4 metres within 10- 15 days if there is no inflow. When the water level in Thumbe dam reduces to 4 metres, we will have to refill it by opening the shutters of AMR dam on the upstream.
Thus, the water level in Thumbe dam can be kept at 6 metres and this will be sufficient to supply water to the city for 45 days, till May 15. However, by April end, we will have to think of introducing rationing of water supply (only 3-4 hours a day) in the city as a precautionary measure,” Shetty said. There will be no need for water rationing if catchment areas receive sufficient rain in the next few weeks, he said.
At present, water from Thumbe dam is being supplied to Mangaluru city, Ullal, Mulki and other villages. While the height of the Thumbe dam is 7 metres, storage is maintained at 6 metres, he said.
Meanwhile, Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat has formed teams involving officials including assistant engineers, junior engineers, panchayat development officers, and employees to ensure uninterrupted water supply to people in parched areas of villages.
ZP CEO Kumar said that several villages in Balepuni, Narikombu, Konaje, Talapady and Manjanady, have been facing an acute shortage of water due to the depletion of groundwater levels. Kumar said that he has directed officials to ensure uninterrupted supply of drinking water in villages. “We have been taking up borewell deepening and flushing works in villages, where groundwater levels have depleted. In many villages, new borewells are being dug to supply water to residents,” he said.