Drinking water crisis in Mangalore, schools ordered to close

A serious drinking water crisis gripping the coastal town of Mangalore has forced the authorities to order the closure of schools and colleges and suspend construction activities till Monday.

The drinking water scarcity began in Mangalore from Tuesday after a major valve burst at pump house at Tumbe. With the pump sent away to Mysore for repairs, the authorities are not in a position to pump drinking water to the town till the pump is repaired and restored at the pump house.

The alternative arrangements made by the authorities to ensure supply of drinking water through tankers is proving to be grossly inadequate, forcing the district administration to order the closure of schools and colleges, besides directing civil contractors to suspend all construction activity till normal water supply is restored.

More than 90,000 households in Mangalore City Corporation have no water supply to their homes. Mayor of Mangalore Vijaya Arun has appealed to the people of Mangalore to use water sparingly. People having wells in their houses should share water with neighbours, she said.

Minister in charge of the Dakshina Kannada district B Nagaraj Shetty visited the pump house and convened a meeting of district administration officials to tide over the crisis. Apart from ordering the closure of schools and colleges and suspending construction activities, Shetty also issued directions to officials to vacate all inmates of hostels in Mangalore town that depend on drinking water supplied by the authorities.

The authorities are roping in private tankers and the vehicles that transport edible oils and other commodities to supply drinking water to the people of Mangalore. The general public has also been cautioned against using water for gardening. The authorities are also planning to take over private wells and bore-wells to ensure drinking water supply during the crisis period.

Speaking to reporters, Shetty said the drinking water scarcity had arisen due to breaking of the major valve into pieces at the pump house following sudden power failure. The entire pump house had been inundated due to the burst of the valve, which had been fixed more than 35 years ago.

Shetty was hopeful that repair work will be completed by Sunday evening and full-fledged water supply will be restored by Monday. But, engineering department officials were of the opinion that it would take at least a week for the water supply to be restored. For, Mangalore’s drinking water pipeline runs for more than 800 kms and the entire pipeline needs to be recharged after the pumps start functioning. At least 24 to 36 hours are required to charge the entire pipeline after the pumps are restored, the officials felt.