Chikkamagalaru:Bringing hope to several parched districts, excavation has been completed for a major portion of the tunnel that will carry water from the Bhadra to Chitradurga and Tumakuru branch canals under the Upper Bhadra Project (UBP).
Besides the two districts, Chikkamagaluru and Davangere too can look forward to more water once the tunnelling is done. The work on the remaining portion of the tunnel is expected to be completed in the next 10 to 12 months, going by official sources.
Being carried out by the Visvesvaraya Jala Nigam Limited (VJNL), the excavation over 5.6 kms of the 7 km long tunnel, extending from Narsipur to Hebbur villages in Tarikere taluk of Chikkamagaluru, marks a crucial stage in the project to supply water from the Bhadra river to the Vedavathi river basin, they reveal. “It’s a critical aspect of the UBJ,” said a VJNL official. The tunnel planned in 2008 hit a roadblock after villagers opposed the excavation fearing it would deplete their ground water. But a small portion of the work began in 2013 and the tunneling picked up pace 2015 onwards.
Several geological challenges were also overcome to achieve this milestone, according to VJNL officials. Allaying fears of ground water depletion, they say the work is being done using tunneling technology from Austria.
“The contractor, Shankaranarayana Constructions Private Limited of Bengaluru, is simultaneously doing the tunnel excavation and concrete lining using nine meter long hydraulic gantries, to prevent seepage of water,” they explain.
