Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Feb 9: The proposal that had been mooted about 18 months back to supplement water supply system of the city by drawing water from Arabian sea and providing it to the citizens after treating and converting it into fresh water, has got a fresh thrust. A team of over 30 persons drawn from city corporation and other departments has undertaken study tour of Chennai relating to this proposal, to study for themselves the efficacy of such a system already in place at Chennai.
Like many other cities, Mangaluru has often encountered shortage of water particularly during summer months, although it is in a better position as compared to other cities in the state as far as drinking water supply is concerned. The level of water at Thumbe dam has been risen to six metres this year. It is being claimed that the city will not face shortage of water during this summer. However, many feel that any shortfall in rain, execution of Yettinahole project, and entry of new industries will have adverse impact on the drinking water supply situation here.
A few cities and also mega projects located nearer to the city have done experiments with reverse osmosis system to get potable water by treating sea water. Sensing that this could provide a lasting solution to the water shortage problem, a team has been deputed to Chennai to get on hand experience about advantages and disadvantages of such a project and practicability of installing a plant to convert saline water into fresh water in the city.
The idea of processing sea water for consumption had been mooted by the then deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district, A B Ibrahim, at a meeting of leading industrialists from the city on May 25, 2016. The then urban development minister, R Roshan Baig, too had evinced interest in the project and suggested to depute a team to Chennai to study the prospect of installing a processing unit here.
Chennai already has sea water desalination plant, and processed water from the plant is being supplied to the citizens of Chennai. The team headed by city mayor, Kavitha Sanil and commissioner, Mohammed Nazeer, left for Chennai on Friday night. The team has four officials, corporators, and four nominated members of the council. The team will undertake a three-day tour and return on the evening of February 12. The cost of the team's travel, food, and stay will be footed by the city corporation.
City corporation commissioner, Mohammed Nazeer, said that around Rs 871 crore has been set aside in the budget for processing sea water to tackle water shortage encountered in the city during summer months and that the current visit is to assess the possibility of processing sea water in the city. Mayor, Kavitha Sanil, who asserted that the city will not face water problem this summer in view of abundant stock at the vented dam, expressed the opinion that there is a need to make sure that in future too the city will not suffer from water shortage, and that the current study tour is meant to study the pros and cons of installing the sea water processing unit in the city.