Bengaluru South taluks to receive permanent drinking water supply by December: DK Shivakumar

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has announced that the permanent drinking water supply project for taluks in Bengaluru South district will be completed by December this year.

According to news agency PTI, the project, which is being implemented at a cost of ₹540 crores, aims to provide reliable drinking water to the region, a promise made during the Chennapatna by-polls.

Shivakumar highlighted that the project will benefit areas including Ramanagar, Kanakapura, Chennapatna, and Magadi taluks. The Deputy Chief Minister also performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the project near the Sattegala reservoir, the report added.

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"We made a commitment to supply drinking water to all the taluks in Bengaluru South, and we are determined to keep that promise," said Shivakumar.

The project was initially launched during his tenure as Water Resources Minister, and he expressed concerns about delays. The Deputy Chief Minister enquired with officials and Megha Engineering, the Hyderabad-based firm executing the project, regarding the reasons for the holdup.

The project aims to supply 3.3 TMCft of water at a nominal cost. It is expected to benefit approximately 10.82 lakh people and 9.03 lakh cattle in the region, which has faced recurring water scarcity due to insufficient rainfall in recent years. Shivakumar also clarified that land for the project is being acquired from farmers as needed, with fair compensation provided. "We are ensuring that farmers who are cooperating with the project by giving up their land receive adequate compensation," he said.

This initiative is designed to improve the area's groundwater levels and alleviate the ongoing water scarcity. Water will be transported from the Sattegala reservoir to the Iggalur barrage via gravity, with 220 cusecs of water flowing for 180 days. The project includes a 25.4 km pipeline, of which 5.5 km has already been completed. Additionally, 11.33 km of the 12.05 km tunnel, which is part of the infrastructure to deliver water, has also been completed.

Water will eventually be supplied to several key reservoirs in the area, including Kanva, Manchanbele, and YG Gudda, through a lift irrigation system.

Shivakumar, along with former MP DK Suresh, MLAs CP Yogeshwar and Kadalur Uday, and MLCs S Ravi and Sudham Das, also reviewed the ongoing tunnel work as part of the project’s progress.

(With agency inputs)

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