Will ensure people of Kolar and Chickballapur get water from Yettinahole Project by tapping a few more streams in Western Ghats: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka government to tap more streams in Western Ghats to provide water to Kolar and Chickballapur through Yettinahole project.

The Karnataka government will ensure people of Kolar and Chikkaballapur get water from Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Supply Project by tapping a few more streams in the Western Ghats, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Speaking after inaugurating the first stage of the project at Hebbanahalli in Sakaleshpur taluk on Friday (September 6, 2024), Mr. Siddaramaiah said people of Chickballapur and Kolar had doubts if water lifted from the streams in Yettinahole will reach their region.

“I have spoken to The Visvesaraya Jala Nigam Limited (VJNL) engineers and understood that on an average 19 tmcft of water is available in the streams in the last 10 years. Of the total 24.01 tmcft of water expected, 14.056 tmcft is for drinking purposes. There is no shortage of water for drinking water,” he assured.

However, considering the average availability in the last 10 years, there was a shortage of five tmcft to fulfil the project. “I have told Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to conduct a survey on further availability of water in other streams in the area. There could be another seven-eight tmcft of water available. We will fulfil the needs of people in Kolar and Chickballapura,” he said.

Further, the Chief Minister said he was happy because he laid the foundation stone for the project in 2014 and had also got an opportunity to inaugurate the project now.

Mr. Shivakumar described the inauguration of the Stage 1 of the project as “a historic day” in the State. “We have brought Gange (water) and Gowri together by holding the inaugural ceremony on the day of Gowri festival,” he said.

Calling the execution of the project as “Bhagiratha Prayathna”, Mr. Shivakumar said lifting water from streams in Western Ghats was not an easy job. “A few vested interests opposed the project and instigated some people to move the National Green Tribunal against the project. However, the NGT disposed of all the objections in 2017 and allowed the project,” he stated.