Bringing Sharavati water to city will spell doom: Activists

Bengaluru: While the population of Bengaluru has touched 1.3 crore, the state government has accorded little importance to water sustainability, but is obsessed with mega projects having disastrous ecological consequences.

The last water policy report was designed in 2002 and despite many areas in the state going parched, the state government has not come up with a new water policy.

“Rather than demand driven supply the concentration of the government should be on demand management. The new water policy should utilize local availability of water. If the demand increases the government plans to bring water from Sharavathi,” said Maj Gen (Retd) S.G. Vombatkere, environmentalist.

Questioning the government’s seriousness on tacking water scarcity he said that the public representatives do not understand the issue.

“As of now anybody who can pay can get water and those who cannot are deprived. The industries are not being penalised for polluting the water bodies. The issue of quality and quantity are being adversely affected and they have not been addressed either in State Water Policy 2002 or in National Water Policy 2012,” Vombatkere explained.

The state government’s proposal to draw water from Sharavathi River to cater to Bengaluru’s increasing demand has been evoked sharp criticism. The activists from Shivamogga have questioned Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwar’s claim that only the water that goes as ‘a waste to the ocean’ from the river will be utilized to cater to the capital.Sharavati Nadi Ulisi Horata Okkuta, an organisation protesting against the diversion of Sharavati river has termed the move unscientific and ecologically disastrous.

“We urge the local Bengalurians to be vocal against such environment wrecking schemes. We are unable to accommodate the ever thirsty Bengaluru, when we are faced with drought in Malenadu. Today, the sight of those who have eyes on Sharavathi has already fallen on the north of Aghanashini, Kali, along with Tunga and Bhadra. The government should consider all options and give priority to the rejuvenation methods of the local water sources which are beneficial in the long term at low cost and should not gun for the costly projects that are bound to fail in the future,” the organisation said.