Take swift steps to tackle water shortages, GT Devegowda tells officials

Mysuru: Former minister and Chamundeshwari MLA GT Devegowda on Wednesday directed officials to take immediate, coordinated steps to address drinking water shortages across city municipal wards, town panchayats and councils in the constituency.Stressing the urgency ahead of summer, he called for proactive planning to ensure an uninterrupted supply.
At a review meeting at the DC office, he highlighted vulnerable localities such as Hootagalli, RT Nagar and Vasanth Nagar and the underutilisation of a water tank constructed by Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) near Hootagalli. During the meeting, after a telephonic discussion with KIADB officials, temporary permission was secured to use the tank until a permanent connection is established under Hale Unduwadi project.DC G Lakshmikanth Reddy said the tank would be handed back to KIADB once alternative arrangements are in place.Anticipating higher demand from April, the MLA asked officials not to wait for complaints and to implement preventive measures in advance.On infrastructure works, executive engineer Asif Iqbal Khalil said a Rs35-crore project has been tendered to lay a pipeline to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Nagar. He added that additional water allocation from the Kabini river is planned under AMRUT 2.0 scheme to strengthen supply systems.The DC directed the Mysuru City Corporation and MUDA to strictly adhere to water-sharing norms. He said the 45 MLD available under Kabini Phase II project must be distributed as allocated to Hootagalli, Srirampura and Bogadi to avoid artificial scarcity. For sustainable management, he suggested that local bodies procure their own water tankers rather than rely on rentals. He assured immediate administrative approval for proposals related to new borewells and tanker purchases to mitigate the impending summer crisis.