Udupi underground drainage to be expanded, 82 to 143 km

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, June 27, 2017: It is widely reported that Udupi City Municipal Council has drawn up plans to extend the underground drainage system, which presently exists in only about 20 % area of the city, to 75 % area within two years. The length of the underground drainage pipelines would be increased from the present 82 kilometres to 143 kilometres.

The underground drainage system covers areas in the old Udupi town municipal areas, including Gundibail, Ambagilu, Volakadu, Ajjarkad, Shiribeedu, Bannanje and Doddanagudde. The Udupi Town Municipal Council (TMC) was upgraded to a City Municipal Council in 1995.

Future cover : The new areas that would be covered due to the extension of the network are Puttur-Santhekatte, Shivalli and Yepataaru Badagabettu.  The extension work of the system would be taken up at a cost of Rs. 185 crore under the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) and AMRUT projects.

Under the plan, six sewage treatment plants would come up in places such as Budnar, Sagri, Kodankur, Nittur South, Matadabettu and Nayarkere. Four lifting stations will come up at Manchikumeri, Malampalli, Gopalpura and Nayampalli.

The extension of the network would require acquisition of 13 acres of land. “Of this 13 acres, only 50 cents belongs to the city municipal council, the rest is private land. We had four consultation meetings with landowners urging them to part with their land in March and April. They would get compensation.

About 70 % of landowners attended these meetings; a majority of them demanded proper drainage network, while some raised objections,” said Shashidhar Hegde, municipal engineer.

Once the land acquisition was given the go-ahead by the Assistant Commissioner, a detailed project report would be prepared. After the approval of the report, the works would start. “Already, the process for the works has started. We expect the work to start in about six months and it would be completed in two years,” Hegde said.

Udupi city has grown in the last decade and a half. The population of the city is 1,25,350 as per 2011 Census. The number of multi-storeyed buildings, business establishments and individual houses in the city too has been increasing, it is essential to extend the underground drainage network and provide better amenities to the people and accordingly plans must progress. .