There’s more bad news for Bangalore. The amount of water that it gets from the Kabini river is being cut back sharply. Instead of the 500 cusecs of water released from the Kabini reservoir for Bangalore’s drinking water needs, only 300 cusecs will be released every day in the next 150 days. The dam is yet to reach its maximum level.
Bangaloreans are already suffering from water shortage due to scanty rains in the region. Borewells have dried up and citizens are buying water from tankers at exorbitant rates.
When 500 cusecs of water is released from Kabini, 300 cusecs reach Malavalli, from where it is supplied to Bangalore. Three hundred cusecs amounts to 900 million litres. To cater to the city’s drinking water needs for the next five months, 3.89 tmc ft of water will be set aside in the reservoir.
This was decided on Monday at the Irrigation Consultative Committee meeting chaired by Minister S A Ramdas, who claimed they had received a plea from Bangalore for only 300 cusecs of water.
The meeting, however, did not discuss the strategy to meet the demand after January 2013 and the ensuing summer.
The situation will become critical as there will be no water left for Bangalore if authorities meet the demand for irrigation and drinking water in the region which has been hit by drought.
Of the available 15.25 tmc ft of water in the reservoir, officials have decided to utilise 10 tmc ft for irrigation.
Asked how they will provide water for drinking and irrigation as the demand for water had increased from both Bangalore and Mysore, Ramdas said that they will release 6.22 tmc ft to Ullahalli and Rampura from the dead storage.
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