Karnataka: Industries directed to stop lifting water from Thumbe dam

MANGALURU: The water level in the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) vented dam at Thumbe is depleting fast due to evaporation, as a result of increasing temperatures, and reduced inflow to the reservoir. The district administration has ordered industries to stop lifting water from the AMR dam, located upstream of Thumbe dam.
MCC commissioner K Channabasappa said that deputy commissioner Ravi Kumar MR has directed industries to stop lifting water in the wake of inflow of water to the Thumbe dam in Bantwal taluk.
“The deputy commissioner has ordered the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) and Mangaluru Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) not to lift water from the AMR dam. At present, the city corporation has no plans of introducing rationing in the distribution of water for public. However, if the situation continues like this, then we will have to think of it. We appeal to people to use water judiciously, and cooperate with the city corporation,” the commissioner said.
On water scarcity issues in some pockets of Mangaluru city, Channabasappa said that the city corporation has already hired three service providers to supply water. “If there is water scarcity in any pocket of the city, then people may contact the city corporation. We will supply drinking water to such areas in tankers,” he added.
The water level at Thumbe dam has reduced from 5.95m on March 3 to 5.5m on Friday. The water level at the dam on April 14, 2021 was 5.7m, and it was 6m on the same day in 2022. Sources said that evaporation from Thumbe dam is more this year. The water in the dam is sufficient for about 40 more days. The city corporation has plans of releasing water from the AMR dam, to increase the level at the Thumbe dam, if the catchment areas do not receive rainfall in the next few days, according to sources.