Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MD)
Mangaluru, Sep 29: A symposium on the controversial Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Projector was held at Bishop's House here on Tuesday September 29, organized by Mangaluru diocese.
Addressing the gathering, Prof S G Mayya of NIT-K Suratkal, who is strongly opposed to the project, said, "In 2011, our former MLA Vijay Kumar Shetty had called a press meet regarding the Yettinahole project and I was with him. After that we both met Basavaraj Bommai, former minister for water resources and briefed him about the project. Bommai said that the people of Dakshina Kannada district are intelligent, but you are still sleeping and continue to sleep. The project had already gone further, but we were still not aware of it. So far, so many protests and awareness programmes have been organised.
"We thought that it was of no use talking to the politicians and planned to go to the court. The water which flows in the Western Ghats does not come under any tribunal. If it is inter-state it comes under tribunal. Therefore, we went directly to the National Green Tribunal and the matter is being heard. Our future generation will blame us if we execute the project. Taking 5 TMC of water is not a problem. Nobody hesitates to give water. Problem is the project is not just about providing drinking water. There is a big master plan behind it," he said.
"Yettinahole is a small birthplace of the Netravati river. Weirs are being constructed at 8 places within a distance of 800 metres of each other. This comes under Western Ghats. In a few areas the water is transported through canals and 90% of the canals are going through land belonging to farmers. The detailed project report (DPR) states that 24 TMC of water will be provided. One TMC is equal to one thousand million cubic feet. In the DPR, 15 TMC of water is mentioned as exclusive drinking water, out of which 2.7 TMC would be for Hassan, Tumakuru and Chikkamagaluru, 3.8 TMC for Bengaluru, Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagar, 5 TMC for Kolar and Chikkaballapur, 2.5 TMC to fill the reservoir in Bengaluru, and 1 TMC for the industrial area in Devanahalli. This is planned for the year 2023.
"Out of 24 TMC of water projected, 15 TMC is taken and where does the remaining 9 TMC go? It is to fill the dried up ponds located in Tumakuru, Kolar, Chikkballapur and Bengaluru," he added.
Prof Mayya further said, "The problem (in arid districts) actually started with exploitation of irrigation. It is not because of less rainfall. They get 700 mm rainfall a year. Water estimation mentioned in the DPR is wrong. The DPR says there is annual rainfall of 6,280 mm in the area where the weirs will be constructed. This is an imaginary figure. In my entire career, I have never seen 6,280 mm of rainfall in a single place. National Institution of Hydrology is situated in Roorkee (Uttarakhand). It is an independent research organisation run by the government itself, and has a unit in Belagavi. Annual rainfall is estimated as up to 4,880 mm, and this is calculated in Maranahalli, which is situated near Yettinahole. This is just a preliminary study. There is no final report yet."
"From January on, continuous water supply is not guaranteed in the district. There should be at least 30 percent of flowing water in a river, but water level in the Netravati river is decreasing. Every water related project has to be approved by the ministry of water resources, but the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd (KNNL) has only mentioned about the drinking water and not about irrigation or industrial purposes, and thus got approval. We are going to face a lot of water problems in future. When there is rain, the water level in the open well increases and flows out. But when the rain stops even for a few days, the water level decreases. This is a special case in Dakshina Kannada. When the water level decreases below 30% in the river, the saline water from the sea will take over the river," he explained.
Comparing the project with those in other countries, Prof Mayya said, "In America, a similar kind of project took 100 years to complete. Four presidents came and went. These kinds of projects have to be done, but here within a few years the project will finish. America took 100 years because they completed it systematically. But here there is no system. The project might be misleading, but who can give the guarantee that Kolar and Chikkaballapur would get drinking water? It is going to fail. At the end, ultimately, I do not want to blame the politicians. I blame the engineering community. Some stupid engineers have given false calculations and the work is being carried out. There is cost benefit in every project. In DPR there are many chapters, but some of the chapters have just one sentence each. Nobody knows who prepared the DPR.
"The DPR is full of contradictions. Most of the details are assumed and it is a major blunder. In case the project is completed, the water level will go below 30% and if you want rain then Western Ghats has to be saved. Water rights are blatantly ignored. This project has been given various names since 2010 and finally called the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project. The rainfall months are changing," he said.
"There is a hidden agenda in this project. Nobody knows if the existing government will be in power or not after 10 years. So far Rs 13,000 crore has been allotted for the project and in the coming years it may go upto Rs 15,000 crore. All this money is from our pocket - the money which we pay as tax to the government. There are a lot of things still to be discussed. We have to oppose this project," he said.
Rosario church parish priest Fr J B Crasta and M P Noronha also spoke on the occasion.
Bishop of Mangaluru Dr Aloysius Paul D'Souza offered a bouquet to welcome Prof S G Mayya.
Fr Dennis Moras Prabhu, Fr Antony Serrao, M G Hegde, Denis D'Silva, Stany Alvares, Lancy D'Cunha, Fr Victor Vijay Lobo, deputy mayor Purushotham, Roy Castelino and others were also present.