Minister lays foundation stone for Rs. 17.6 crore drinking water project for Dharmasthala

Project envisages pumping 3.6 million litres of water per day from Neriya River to Dharmasthala

Minister for Urban Development B.A. Basavaraja (Byrathi) laid the foundation stone for the tendered Rs. 17.6 crore water supply project to provide drinking water to temple town Dharmasthala on Monday at Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada district.

The projects envisages pumping 3.6 million litres per day (MLD) water from the newly-constructed vented dam across the Neriya, 4.5 km away from Dharmasthala, to the temple town and other paraphernalia. While the estimated cost of the project was Rs. 26.06 crore, M/s CVK Construction Pvt., Ltd., Hubballi, bagged the tender for Rs. 17.59 crore under Design, Build and Transfer basis within 18 months.

Drinking water requirements of Dharmasthala at present were being catered from the 14.3 tmcft capacity vented dam built across the Netravathi from a distance of 2.5 km from the town. The project was commissioned in 1989 and 1998 to supply 2.27 MLD water. When Netravathi dried up in 2019, the temple town faced severe difficulties.

Thereafter, Pattadhakari D. Veerendra Heggade, along with public representatives, requested the government to provide the water from Neriya-Mullikkadu vented dam built across Neriya, a tributary that joins Netravathi near Dharmasthala. They said the present three-decade-old project was insufficient for the town that witnesses an average footfall up to 30,000 a day that increased up to 50,000 during festivals and having over 9,000 population. Keeping in mind future requirements up to 2055, they sought a project to supply water up to 3.6 MLD.

The government approved the project on April 11, 2022, following which the tendering process was completed. After commissioning, the project could provide 45 litres of water to a pilgrim and 55 litres to a resident.

The project includes consruction of an intake well, connecting pipe and jackwell-cum-pumphouse near the dam, 323.9 mm dia 4.5 km long elevated pipeline to Shivarathrigudde, construction of 3.6 MLD capacity treatment plant, construction 10 lakh litre capacity elevated reservoir, pumphouse and other items.

Mr. Heggade presided over the programme, attended by Karnataka Urban Water supply and Drainage Board Chairman Narasimha Naik (Raju Gowda), Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja, MLC Prathap Simha Nayak, KUWSDB Managing Director K.P. Mohan Raj, ZP CEO Kumara and others.