Respond to water woes: Bhat

River Swarna, the lifeline of Udupi is drying up and the town is likely to face acute water crisis.

The City Municipal Council of Udupi should wake up to ensure to tackle water crisis, said MLA Raghupathi Bhat.

The legislator visited the banks of the Swarna river at Hiriyadka on Monday and inspected the availability of water in the Baje dam. “The water in the dam is sufficient for 15 days,” said Bhat.

‘Desilt river’

He urged the authorities to desilt the river. “If the silt is not cleared, the water crisis will only continue next year as well. The deputy commissioner should initiate measures in this regard at the earliest,” he suggested.

“Also, by removing the silt and boulders, the storage capacity can be increased,” the legislator reminded.

Bhat appealed to the citizens too, to utilise water judiciously and not waste it. He demanded the district administration to supply water through tankers to water-hit areas.

Rainwater harvesting

In a meeting, meanwhile, Udupi Deputy Commissioner Hephsiba Rani Korlapati, directed the officials to respond to the water woes of the citizens.

“The gram panchayats and local administration bodies should respond to the citizens. Any negligence by the officials in tackling water crisis will be considered seriously,” she warned.

She directed the concerned officials to initiate measures to install rainwater harvesting system in gram panchayat, hostel and government buildings in the district.