Govt dusts off Paschima Vahini project

The Paschima Vahini project to link 22 west flowing rivers has gathered momentum with the state government dusting off the plan after 11 years.

According to sources in the minor irrigation department, the proposal has been renewed after former chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda asked the government to go ahead with the plan before he resigned from the post. N Yogish Bhat, chairman of the state petitions committee, has now been provided with the required papers to initiate action.

The project, prepared in 2001, was supposed to have begun in 2005. The project would have cost Rs100 crore in 2005 but due to the delay and inflation, it would have cost Rs423 crore in 2011. Initial provisions were made at `120 crore, sources said.

The project envisaged to harness a total of 1480 TMC water from 22 west flowing rivers, including five major rivers—Netravati, Sharavathi, Chakra, Swarna and Kali.

In 2002, the minor irrigation department envisaged to construct 707 vented dams which could irrigate 40,189 hectares of agricultural land in three districts which are usually use rain water for kharif and and part of rabi crops. But with the construction of the dams, the districts can use augmented water supply to reap 3rd and 4th crops in a year. Once the project is implemented, about 20 towns and cities, including Mangalore, Udupi, Karwar, Kundapur, Bhatkal, Honnavar, will have no drinking water problems, according to Bhat. 

The project has been revived against the background of a controversy over another plan for lifting water from Nethravati river near Yettanaholay area in western ghats. Nethravati river is the only drinking water source for Mangalore city. The people of Dakshina Kannada district have been opposing the Yettinaholay project, saying it will dry out the only water source for Mangalore and other parts of the district which survives on the river. Yettinaholay project will get water to Tumkur, Chikkaballapur, Doddaballapur and Bangalore urban and rural districts. Dakshina Kannada district and Mangalore city will get an additional drinking and irrigation water source if the Paschima Vahini project comes into being.