Mangalore, Feb 21, 2012: A team of MCC officials, under the leadership of Mayor Praveen, visited Thumbe Dam on Feb 21 Tuesday to offer Ganga Pooja in a bid to solve Mangalore’s drinking water problems.
The vented dam, which is 4m high, is full right now and the quantity of water it stores is expected to be enough for the next three months.
Ganga Pooja, which is performed when the dam is full, sends a message to the citizens of Mangalore to be careful in their use of water as the water stored in the dam must last the entire city till the onset of the monsoons.
Opinions Voiced
Geetha Nayak, the deputy mayor; Praveen Anchan, the mayor of Mangalore; Lancelot Pinto, the leader of the MCC opposition; Shashidhar Hegde, the former mayor; and Dr. Harish Kumar, the commissioner of MCC, spoke on this occasion.
The mayor stated that the dam is now full, with its sluice gates closed. The water is enough to meet the needs of the city and the MCC can supply water continuously to all houses in the city.
Addressing the gathering, Geetha Nayak, the deputy mayor, urged parents to teach their children the importance of water and trees and to protect and conserve nature.
Voicing his opinions, Lancelot Pinto, the opposition leader, said that dam authorities and the district administration must ensure that the city gets adequate drinking water and that there is no shortage of water. He said that there will never be any water shortage if people perform their duties carefully.
Dr. Harish Kumar, the commissioner of MCC, said that the city will not face any water problems because of the increased water storage capacity.
Speaking on the occasion, a private sector engineer said that the MCC must implement strict measures to ensure prudent use of water while conducting such rituals.
New Dam
L. N. Anand, the executive engineer of the Karnataka Water Supply Board, said that a new dam, around 10 – 12m high, is being constructed and is expected to store water to a depth of 7m, having a capacity of 14.74 million cubic meters. The water in this dam can meet the requirements of the city for as many as 5 months, he said.
Around Rs. 40 crore will have to be spent on the initial phase of the construction of the dam, while the total cost can go up to Rs. 79.5 crore. While the state government has already released Rs. 8 crore, the civic body will have to raise Rs. 3 crore next week. The dam is to be constructed by 2013.