Gangavali River faces growing water stress

Karwar: If rainfall declines even slightly, the Gangavali River could expose a grim summer reality for Karwar and Ankola, with drinking water supply potentially becoming necessary once every three days.This has raised concern among residents over the consequences of diverting the river, a lifeline of the coastal region, to dry areas.Water pumped from a station near Honnalli in Ankola is supplied to Ankola town, Karwar city, the Kadamba Naval Base, Grasim Industries at Binaga and 13 gram panchayats. The daily requirement is 21 million litres.“Supplying drinking water from the Gangavali until February is not very difficult. After that, storing water by constructing a sandbag barrage becomes challenging for three months. In recent years, during peak summer, the water level has fallen so low that supply had to be stopped,” said an official of City Water Supply Board.Water supplyThe second-phase expansion of the Kadamba Naval Base is almost complete. It currently receives eight million litres per day (MLD), but this could rise to 21 MLD within months. If an airport comes up at Alageri, supply will have to increase further. Within a few years, more than 45 MLD may have to be supplied from the Gangavali, the official added.Construction of a weir to store summer water in the Gangavali is 36% complete, said City Water Supply Board Executive Engineer Shivarama Naik.“We aim to complete it by June next year. Stored water will be supplied to Karwar and Ankola, while the naval base will receive water through a separate pipeline,” he added.Water levels in the Gangavali remain high only during the four monsoon months and are very low for the remaining eight months. The flow will decline even before summer. If the river diversion project is implemented, it could harm the environment and leave people in Karwar, Ankola and Gokarna without adequate water, said Save Gangavali-Karavali Awareness Campaign president Ananth Hegde Ashisara.Uttara Kannada landslide: Truck from Kerala located in Gangavali; Indian Coast Guard to aid in search opsIf water from Gangavali River, the lifeline of the coastal region, is diverted to Haveri district, the reduced flow will destroy the environment and agricultural activities in riverside villages of the Ankola area.People in Karwar, Gokarna and Ankola will struggle for drinking water. Seawater will intrude deep into inland areas, causing the destruction of aquatic life and adversely affecting fishing. Hence, the voice of coastal people against river-linking projects must grow louder, he added.Karnataka: Now, no touching idol at Gokarna temple while prayingShivaram Naik, City Water Supply Board Executive EngineerSupplying water from Gangavali River to meet the demand during summer will be challenging. A weir is being constructed to store water.Ananth Hegde Ashisara, Gangavali-Karavali Save Awareness Campaign PresidentIf the Bedti-Varada and Aghanashini-Vedavathi river-linking projects are implemented they will adversely affect the lives of people and the environment in the coastal region.

Source: Deccan Herald