The Hindu

Mangalore, May 6: Mayor of Mangalore K Ashraf said that the water situation in Mangalore is comfortable and the corporation will be able to supply water once in two days as at present.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday at Thumbe reservoir, Ashraf said that he had inspected the availability of water at the reservoir and was convinced that there was enough water for another 15 days.

Criticising the BJP councillors in the Mangalore City Corporation for raising a "false alarm" that there was water only for six days, Ashraf said the Corporation had taken adequate precautions to improve the water situation. It had taken steps including asking the Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) to release water from its reservoir in Sarapady and also clearing blocks to ensure free flow of water into the reservoir from Uppinangady to Thumbe. All these efforts had yielded more water.

According to Commissioner P Chandrappa, the Corporation had constituted a special team of corporation workers under the supervision of engineers to clear artificial bunds and obstacles created by people along the course of river between Uppinangady and Mangalore. He said in normal circumstances, the corporation would not do it as these bunds were useful to feed water to the fields and plantations, but now the situation demanded it.

Asked if people of Mangalore would have to depend on the charity of MRPL every year, Ashraf said the water was god-given and there was no charity involved. It was the duty of every citizen to share water, he said. He commended the officials of MRPL for readily agreeing to release water. He said they had assured him that if needed, more water would be released.

Asked if there would be a change of location for the second vented dam as indicated by the District in-charge Minister B Nagaraj Shetty,  Ashraf said there was no such plan. The corporation would soon start construction of the second vented dam 50 metres downstream of the one at Thumbe, he said.