Mangalore: City to Get Water from Kudremukh's Lakya Dam
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Apr 10: The proposal to draw water from Lakya dam built by Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd for meeting the needs of the city, which was hanging fire since long, seems to be moving on the right direction. At a meeting held at the office of the district commissioner here on Monday April 9, it was decided to seek diversion of one MGD of water on a daily basis from the dam for drinking water purposes.
The above dam had been built for pumping iron ore mined at Kudremukh mountains through a pipeline, after mixing it with water, to the pelletization plant of the company functioning at Panambur, by using gravitational force. After its lease expired, the company has not been conducting mining activity at Kudremukh, and hence, the dam built by it has become useless, but for meeting limited water needs of the company at Panambur.
The meeting was convened specifically to discuss the issue threadbare and arrive at a decision, in view of the dwindling water resources in the city. The meeting was attended among others, by deputy speaker in the state assembly, N Yogish Bhat, deputy commissioner, Dr N S Channappa Gowda, officials of the city corporation, as well as some officials of Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd.
The district administration officially requested the company to release one MGD of water at present, to meet water needs of the city. This water will be drawn by interlinking the company’s pipeline to the water treatment plant of the city from Panambur. At present, 2.3 MGD of water is being supplied to the company’s unit at Panambur every day. The meeting also discussed the practicability of bringing 6 MGD of water from Lakya dam every day to the city, by making full use of the pipeline capacity. However, this might take time, as court permission and other procedures may be needed to be followed for the same.
In the meanwhile, moderate rainfall being received in the catchment areas of River Netravati since a couple of days, has given rise to a hope that water situation woes will not become grimmer during the remaining period before the onset of monsoon.