Mangalore, Aug 18: The government of Karnataka is trying to mislead the people by proposing the Yetthinahole Project in the place of G S Paramashivaiah Committee report for inter-basin water transfer, said Professor of Water Resources Engineering at NITK Surathkal Prof S G Mayya.
Speaking at a discussion on diversion of Netravathi river at Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in the city on Saturday, he said that there was no transparency in the proposed Yetthinahole project, and the name of River Netravathi had been deliberately avoided in the feasibility report of the project.
"The Yettinahole Project has been presented as a drinking water scheme for Chikkaballapur and Kolar districts, but supply of drinking water to the affected people has received the last priority in the feasibility report of the project. It is envisaged in the report that the water from the river will rejuvenate the rivers arising in the Nandi Hills (Kolar) such as Arkavathi, Palar, North and South Pinakini and others. The proposal of the project includes beneficiaries such as few taluks of Hassan, Chikmagalur, Chitradurga and Tumkur districts, and Devanahalli Industrial Area in Bangalore, and gives last priority to supply water to the people of Chikkaballapur and Kolar," he said, adding that the proposal nowhere refers to drinking water.
Detailing the proposals of both G S Paramashivaiah Committee (GSPC) and Yetthinahole Project feasibility reports, he said that if the first proposal would cause damage to the Netravathi river basin and the environment in its implementation, the second proposal was “equally bad”.
As proposed in the GSPC report, the water that would be diverted from the Netravathi river would not be used for drinking water alone. In the first scheme, out of the total 51.73 TMC to be diverted, only 13.55 TMC was proposed to be used for drinking purposes, while the rest would be used for industrial and other purposes. An unlined canal of 298 km (in length) is proposed for the inter-basin water transfer. If implemented, this scheme would cause the submersion of 2166 hectares of forest land. Similarly, the second scheme proposed diversion of 20.80 TMC through a canal of 419 km (in length), he said.
He said that both the schemes proposed using the diverted water for various other purposes such as industrial use and generation of power. However, in order to avoid the proposal from encountering the requirement of clearance under Environment Act, the proposal has been portrayed as a “drinking water” scheme, which amounts to misleading the people, he said.
Stressing on the damage that would be caused by the Yetthinahole project, he said that if the Western Ghats were mutilated, it would affect the entire region of South India. The title of the project is misleading, in order to evade opposition from the people in Netravathi river basin.
He also stressed that although there was shortage of water for more than 180 days in the Netravathi river basin, no effort had been made by successive governments to conserve the Netravathi river water for the period of water-scarcity in the coastal region. The activity will destruct the Western Ghats, which in turn, will affect the rainfall in South India. Reduction of forest land will also increase soil erosion. Geo-morphological changes due to changes in river flow and the constructional activities in Western Ghats will result in irreparable damage to the environment, said the professor, adding that water could not be guaranteed to the end users after the implementation of the project.
Mr Mayya said that alternate solutions to the drought problem in Chikkaballapur and Kolar districts were possible, and inter-basin water transfer ought to be considered only after all alternative options were exhausted.
KCCI President Mohammed Ameen and vice-president Nigam B Vasani were present during the programme.
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