Harsh summer in store for north, west B’lore

Harsh summer in store for north, west B’lore

ater level at Thippagondanahalli reservoir has dropped drastically
Harsh summer in store for north, west B’lore
S Lalitha, Bangalore, Sep 20, DHNS:

Alarm bells on the water level have already started ringing at the Thippagondanahalli (TG Halli) reservoir.

DIP DIP DIP: The Sangameshwara temple at the Thippagondanahalli reservoir. When the water level reaches a maximum of 2,574 feet, the temple gets submerged. File photoFor the water storage level, that increases annually during the months of August, September and October, has dropped drastically. The storage capacity of the reservoir, located in the downstream of Hesarghatta lake, is 74 feet but the level was hovering at a mere 28 feet, nine inches feet on Saturday. “The month of August is over and half of September too has gone. There has been no appreciable increase in the storage levels. It is during these two months and October that the reservoir’s levels shoot up,” said a top official.

The areas in Rajaji Nagar, Kamala Nagar, West of Chord Road, Vijayanagar, Nagarbhavi and parts of Yelahanka will bear the brunt of the decreased levels in the reservoir, during the coming summer, he added.

The reasons are not far to seek; absence of rains in the catchment areas of Nelamangala, Doddaballapur, Sivaganga and Nandi Hills. “The last three days have shown a minor improvement but that is just not enough,” the official said.

While the increase in water level is usually 500 million cubic feet (mcft) during each of these three months in the preceding years, the level has gone up by a mere 20 mcft for the month of August, this year.

“The inflow into the reservoir is very poor this time. The annual increase that ranges between 1,500 mcft to 2,000 mcft appears to be a distant prospect this time around. Even last year, it had increased well above 1,500 mcft by the end of October,” he informed.

The year 2008 was a good year for the reservoir as the water had touched a four-year high of 40-feet in October that time, thanks to copious rains. The reservoir, located 35 kms from the City towards Magadi, supplies 70 million litres of water to Bangalore on a daily basis. This is a crucial supplement to the 810 million litres of Cauvery water supplied daily by the Thoraikkadanahalli reservoir. TG Halli mainly caters to the needs of northern and western parts of Bangalore.

Inaugurated in the year 1933, the reservoir is located at the confluence of the Arkavathi and Kumudvathi rivers. It used to be the only source of water supply to the City during that era.