MCC meet: Concern raised over looming water crisis

Mangaluru: Corporators in the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council united to raise concern over the water crisis prevailing in various wards in the city, and alleged that the Jalasiri 24x7 drinking water project had failed. The second phase of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded project is implemented by Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) under the Karnataka Integrated Urban Water Management Investment Programme (KIUWMIP), at an estimated cost of Rs 792.4 crore, through Suez Projects Pvt Ltd.During the general meeting held on Wednesday, corporator Naveen D’Souza said a pilot project under Jalasiri was taken up in Bendore ward. “The irony is that after commissioning of the pilot project, households are receiving water for only for an hour. Earlier, residents were receiving water for 10 hours. The Jalasiri project has failed completely, and officials concerned are irresponsible,” he said. Demanding a solution to the problem, D’Souza entered the well of the house and slept on the floor. Later, all Congress corporators joined him, demanding a solution to the water issue in the city limits. Corporator AC Vinayaraj said that the authorities have failed to identify 54 zones created for the supply of water in all 60 wards. There is a lack of coordination between officials from Kudcemp, MCC and representatives of Suez, he said. He expressed doubt over the completion of the Jalasiri project by May this year. Chief whip in the council Premananda Shetty said that the bills for the work implemented by the contractor should not be cleared till they are verified.An official said that the demand for water in Bendore ward is 3.2 MLD per day for 500 households. Several corporators said they were facing a water crisis in their wards. Corporators also voiced their apprehension regarding the water crisis occurring as early as JanuaryPoornima from Central Market ward alleged that her ward is facing an acute water crisis, and some households have not received water for a week. Mayor Sudheer Shetty Kannur said that a meeting will be convened to discuss the progress of Jalasiri project on Feb 8. He told officials to provide details about the project’s progress. There are illegal connections in villages from Thumbe to Adyar. The commissioner should convene a meeting of all the PDOs of these villages, he added. ‘Wastewater released into lake’A corporator alleged that piggeries were discharging wastewater into a lake. He alleged that the water source in Bolpugudde is getting polluted, to which the mayor said that he had directed the health officer to visit the spot for inspection. The concern was also raised during the phone-in programme. MCC commissioner Anand CL promised to look into the issue and solve it as soon as possible.