An additional 10 MLD water will be lifted from Thumbe vented dam, after the completion of works on upgrading the jackwell at Thumbe vented dam and water purification unit at Ramalkatte initiated under phase 1 of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is completed, said Mayor Premananda Shetty.
The works are likely to be completed in the next two to three months, he added.
At present, 160 MLD water is lifted from Thumbe vented dam daily to supply in Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) limits, en route villages from Thumbe vented dam, Mulki and Ullal, he said after offering Ganga puja to River Nethravathi at Thumbe vented dam on Tuesday.
He said the work on a 20 MLD water treatment facility at Ramalkatte is in progress. As part of the Jalsiri project which is envisaged to supply 24X7 water, the upgrading of 81.7 MLD capacity water purifying unit at Thumbe will be taken up.
In addition, the construction of filter back washed water reused plant and intermediate pumping stations will come up at seven locations. In addition to the existing 23 overhead tanks, additional 19 overhead tanks will be constructed. There are eight ground-level service reservoirs in MCC limits. In addition, four more such GLSR will be constructed, he added.
The water distribution lines in Mangaluru will be augmented from 750 km to 1,500 km. In addition, for the management of water supply, the entire corporation area has been divided into 54 zones and a 24X7 customer care centre will be set up to address the grievances pertaining to water supply under the Jalasiri project, said the mayor.
He said there is enough water in the dam to meet the requirements of the city. The demand for water is likely to increase by 20% to 30% in the months of April and May.
In spite of it, the water is sufficient to supply even if the region fails to get pre-monsoon showers and monsoon by June 15. Mangaluru city is unlikely to face a water crisis this season, he said.
Water stored in the vented dam is sufficient to supply for two months after the inflow of water to the river stops. When the water level recedes, the water from the AMR dam, situated upstream, will be released to the Thumbe vented dam, he added.
With the water level receded, Mangaluru city had faced an acute shortage of water in 1993, 2003, 2016 and 2019, he said.
Stating that the MCC has a challenge in the water distribution system during peak summer, he called upon people to utilise water judiciously.
If the citizens have other sources of water, then they should use it so that the dependence on water supplied by the MCC is reduced, he added.