Mangaluru: The new water rehabilitation project will ensure a 24×7 access to drinking water for all Mangaluru residents, said Mangaluru South MLA Vedvyas Kamath.
Speaking to reporters at the BJP District Office on Friday, December 13, Kamath expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Yediyurappa for taking steps to rehabilitate the city’s water distribution system. He said, “The Rs 792.42 crore-water project has been undertaken while keeping in mind the necessities of the city’s residents for the next 30 years. The contract for the project has been awarded to French firm SUEZ for a period of eight years.”
Iterating the need to improve Mangaluru’s water distribution service, the BJP MLA stated that out of 160 to 180 million gallons per day (mgd) that is pumped from the Thumbe Dam, nearly 60-70 mgd of water is lost due to leakages. “We need to minimize our losses. This project is important because we have to recover the wasted, non-billable water,” he added.
Before beginning the actual work, the SUEZ team will carry out a meticulous survey of the city for the next six to seven months and an additional three months will be taken to consult with various stakeholders, the MLA informed.
Apart from replacing leaky pipes, SUEZ will set up eight new boosting pump-houses, new filtration units with an enhanced capacity of 18mgd, and a class-B multi-jet water meter in every household.
Rs 3.65 cr plan to restore city lakes revealed
Vedvyas Kamath also informed reporters that the state government had allocated Rs 3.65 crores in order to restore lakes that fall within the city limits. He said, “It was brought to my notice that several people faced water shortages even during the monsoon season. That is why this plan to restore the lakes has been undertaken.”
A total of eight lakes have been identified for the project, namely: Kadri-Kaibatallu Lake (Rs 90 lakhs), Jogimatta Lake (Rs 80 lakhs), Kulshekara Lake (Rs 70 lakhs), Shri Vaidyanath Temple’s lake in Jeppinamogaru (Rs 25 lakhs), Jalliguda Lake (Rs 65 lakhs), the lake near Kudroli Nadupali Jumma Masjid (Rs 25 lakhs) and the Kundodi Lake (Rs 10 lakhs).
Over 1.3 crore rupees had already been allocated for the restoration of the Byradi Lake and an additional Rs 70 lakhs will be spent on the lake.
