The project envisages lifting 24.01 tmcft of water available during monsoon from Yettinahole, Kadumane Hole, Keri Hole, and Hongada Halla coming under the Western Ghats in Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district. | Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH
The implementation of the ambitious Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project, estimated at ₹23,251.66 crore, has reached a decisive stage with the pre-commissioning tests of works related to lifting of water under Stage-1 turning out to be successful.
The project envisages lifting 24.01 tmcft of water available during monsoon from Yettinahole, Kadumanehole, Kerihole, and Hongada Halla coming under the Western Ghats in Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district. This will be used to mitigate acute drinking water scarcity in the parched districts of Chickballapur, Kolar, areas of Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Tumakuru, Ramanagara, and Bengaluru Rural.
While 14.056 tmcft of water will be used for mitigating the drinking water scarcity, 9.953 tmcft will be used to fill 527 tanks till 50% capacity in five districts. The latter will help recharge the groundwater table, which will benefit about 75.59 lakh people (projected population for 2023-24) of 6,657 villages and 38 towns in 29 taluks of the above seven districts.
According to a release from Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, the works related to lifting of water and power supply under Stage-1 which started in 2014 have now been completed.
Presently, 42 km of work have been completed on the gravity canal that has a total length of 252.61 km. Since further works have not been completed owing to forest and land acquisition issues, it is planned to release water to Vani Vilas Sagar temporarily through the Veda valley from the canal escape located 132.5 km away, the release pointed out.
Accordingly, the pre-commissioning test activities were carried out from November 2023 and water was supplied to delivery chamber no. 3 by lifting water from weirs four and five.
Presently along with these, water is also pumped from weir one to delivery chamber four and from there it was successfully released to the gravity canal on August 20. The water in the canal has already entered the Veda valley through the nala escape. With this, the Halebid and the Belawadi lakes that are on the way are overflowing and water is flowing further towards the Vani Vilas Sagar, the release stated.
Presently, it is planned to supply water to gravity canal by conducting pre-commissioning tests of all weirs (except weir three) by this September 5. After completion of the pre-testing activities, the project works will be officially launched and dedicated to the State soon under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Deputy Chief Minister.
Under the project, a total financial progress of ₹16,152.05 crore has been achieved and the project is planned to be completed on a priority basis by March 31, 2027, the official release stated.
A telemetry with German technology in-house system (real-time discharge measurement) was installed in 2018 to accurately measure the water flow near eight weirs constructed in the catchment area of ​​the Yettinahole project.
During the curent monsoon season of June 1 to August 20, 13.34 tmcft of water was recorded, including the divertible quantum of 9.23 tmcft.
