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Monday, June 24, 2019
Environmentalists oppose plan to take Sharavathi river water to Bengaluru
The Karnataka government is set to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on drawing water from the Linganamakki reservoir in Shivamogga, which is built on the Sharavathi river.
Citizen and environment groups in Karnataka's Shivamogga district are planning a resistance against the state government's proposed plan to take water from Sharavathi river to Bengaluru. The Karnataka government is set to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on drawing water from the Linganamakki reservoir in Shivamogga, which is built on the Sharavathi river. But the reservoir, which acts as a source of water for the Sharavathi hydel project, is currently facing a shortage of water since the water available is just 9% of the total capacity and will be able to generate power for only one more month at the current rate. In addition, environmentalists have pointed out concerns that the project will lead to wide-scale deforestation and add to the district's water problems. The BJP has also thrown its weight behind the protests with the party's state president BS Yeddyurappa terming the project unscientific. The party's MLA in Sagar – Hartal Halappa – has also written to Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy asking him to scrap the project. Diminishing power generation The Linganamakki reservoir built on the Sharavathi River is the source of water for the Sharavathi Hydel project. The project, which has ten units generating power, can generate up to 1035 MW of power every day. According to engineers at the Linganamakki reservoir, the hydel project has the capacity to generate up to 24 million units per day. "However, we generate 14 million units or even lesser depending on what is asked. This is decided by taking into account the generation of electricity via thermal, wind and solar as well," explains Hanumanthappa, an engineer at the Linganamakki reservoir. At the current rate of generation, the hydel project can continue to generate power for the next month. "Even then, if the catchment areas are dry and the rainfall reduces, we could be stopping power generation even sooner,” adds Hanumanthappa. Activists further point out that the plan to transport water from the reservoir to Bengaluru, which is around 400 km eastwards, will require a high amount of power. "To take 30 tmcft water from Sharavathi river to Bengaluru, civil engineers in Shivamogga calculated that it would require around 1500 MW of power, which is close to capacity of the hydel project...There is a shortage of power generation in the state," says Shankar Sharma, a retired engineer and an activist opposing the project. Linganamakki Dam | Photograph via: USAID, Historical Archive Environmental concerns In addition to the concerns of power generation, environmentalists point out that rainfall in the catchment areas of the Sharavathi river is declining due to deforestation and that the project proposed will only add to the district's problems. According to reports by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), Shivamogga district received 56% deficient rainfall so far in June. "This summer, 133 villages in Sagar taluk were provided water by tankers. The rains have not yet begun here and this has delayed sowing season. When there is a drought-like situation here, there is no need to construct pipelines and transport water from here to Bengaluru, particularly when we have seen this fail with the Yettinahole project," says Akhilesh Chipli, a Sagar-based environmentalist. Activists also say that project to transport water will also affect fishermen in 80 villages depending on the Sharavathi river for their sustenance. They argue that instead of starting expensive and time-consuming projects to divert water from the Western Ghats region to Bengaluru, the state government must assess the alternative sustainability measures available to them to conserve water. "If rainwater harvesting is implemented and lakes are rejuvenated in Bengaluru, the city can conserve water without the need for projects like this," says Akhilesh. Lessons from Yettinahole This is not the first time the Karnataka government has decided to divert the flow of a west-flowing river eastwards. The Netravati river diversion project proposed by the state government was met with similar resistance from environmentalists and activists before the project was renamed the Yettinahole river diversion project. Yettinahole is a tributary of the Netravathi river and the project to transport water from the river thousands of kilometres eastwards to areas around Bengaluru received an approval from the National Green Tribunal in May despite a lack of an environmental clearance since it is a drinking water project. Residents and environmentalists opposed to the project have organised themselves under the banner 'Sharavathi Ulisi' and have held public meetings in Shivamogga, Sagar and Hosanagara. "We do not want the situation playing out with the Yettinahole river diversion to happen all over again with the Sharavathi river," warns Akhilesh.
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Narrow escape for 6 persons after car catches fire on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road
Smoke emanated from the bonnet of the car, and in a matter of minutes, the car was engulfed in flames, say eyewitnesses.
There was panic in Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road on Monday evening after a car caught fire and was gutted. Fortunately, all the six persons in the car including the driver got out of the vehicle in time. No one was injured in the fire. The incident took place near Agara Lake junction at around 5:20 pm. An official at the Fire Control Team confirmed the blaze was completely doused within 25 minutes by a single engine. “There are no injuries. There was a total number of six persons. All the six passengers had managed to get out of the vehicle as soon as they spotted the fire,” HSR Layout Police Station Inspector Victor Simon who rushed to the spot told TNM. He added the cause of the fire was yet to be determined and further investigation by the police and fire department will reveal details. The car is a Chevrolet Enjoy registered in the Electronic City Regional Transport Office in the city little less than three years ago. According to eyewitnesses, the car had stopped briefly at the Agara Lake bus stop after smoke emanated from the bonnet. In a matter of minutes, the car was engulfed in flames. The incident created panic among passers-by and a crowd gathered in the area before the fire engine arrived. Traffic flow was also disrupted due to this with delays of upwards of five minutes at the Agara junction. This is not the first incidence of vehicles catching fire. In a recent incident in Hyderabad, the driver of the car was burnt alive as his vehicle caught fire in February. In that instant, the vehicle was a Maruti Suzuki Celero plying on Hyderabad’s Outer Ring Road. Read: Man charred to death after car catches fire on Hyd's outer ring road
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After almost 42 years, this tribal colony in Karnataka is finally getting electricity
Being surrounded by forest, drawing power lines here was prohibited and so the Malekudiya tribal colony near Mangaluru had an unreliable supply of electricity.
For Laxman, a member of Malekudiya tribe in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, either kerosene lamps or a small hydropower contraption met his family and community’s electricity requirements. “But during the summer, the electricity generated is almost nil due to the depleting water levels here,” Laxman says. Located deep in the forest area of Belthangady taluk, the Banjara Malekudiya Colony, where the tribe resides, comes under the protection of Karnataka Forest Department (KFD). No transmission lines could reach this area as it involved felling trees, which, in turn, would violate the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963 (KFA). A few residents of the Banjara Malekudiya tribal colony As a result, the Malekudiyas generated electricity through renewable sources, such as solar power and hydropower. But even these have not been reliable since the waterfalls in the area did not maintain a constant and forceful flow of water. Although a Pico hydropower plant was installed in the colony by Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP), this, too, has been unreliable due to breakdowns and constant repair work. Hydel pump that some residents made to temporarily meet their electricity requirements Now, after 42 years of unreliable sources of power, the tribal colony is getting a conventional means of electric power generation - overhead power lines. How transmission lines reached here The Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (MESCOM) conducted a survey and identified the routes through which the electrical lines to the tribal community can be drawn. However, the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963 (KFA) brought this project to a halt. “Given the strict guidelines regarding the encroachment of forest land under KFA, it was not possible to use forest land to install powerlines,” Shivashankar, assistant executive engineer (electrical) of MESCOM, Belthangady Division, said. Subsequently, the Dakshina Kannada District Administration and MESCOM had to explore an alternative route to distribute power to the tribal community. A team of joint planners identified two private estates belonging to Yenepoya Group and Jordania, which is a vast tract of land separating the mainland from the colony. The authorities then reached out to the landowners to allow them to lay Low-tension (LT) and High-tension (HT) lines through their properties. Given their experience, the MESCOM said that private property owners mostly refuse to lay HT lines within their property. The estate owners of Yenepoya and Jordania, however, considered the plight of the tribal groups and submitted No Objection Certificates (NOC) to MESCOM, Shivashankar said. Elated with the positive response, MESCOM authorities swiftly began its work in March and drew powerlines measuring 12 km in distance, through the thick tropical forest. Of the 12 km-long powerlines, 5 km-long HT and LT lines were drawn through the private estates. Pegged at the cost of Rs 1.2 crore, the task of providing electricity to 46 tribal houses was undertaken by Central government’s Saubhagya Scheme. The project included installing three transformers and 450 electricity poles. “Under the Saubhagya Scheme, all the houses have been provided with electricity for free. These houses will be billed under the LT2 Tariff. But this scheme is only for the domestic households, therefore the community hall-Anganwadi centre has not been provided with electricity. For the latter, the colony residents will have to submit a separate application,” Shivashankar said. He further added that there are some technical issues with regard to some houses in the interior parts of the colony, but that too will soon be resolved. Moreover, the monsoon season is hindering the linemen from reaching all the houses in the colonies, since they are located in the forests. Additionally, a road is being laid on the Yenepoya Estate for a 24-megawatt power generation, which has also helped the colony dwellers gain access to their land easily. Even though the electric power lines are being installed, the residents have been asked to not give up renewable sources of energy as there could be power outages during the monsoon. Initially, Laxman could not believe that the entire colony will be receiving a conventional source of power. “Living has been a struggle for us for decades. We hope the electrification will help us and our children live a better life,” he said. Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP)
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BJP criticises K’taka CM Kumaraswamy for ‘overspending’ on his village stay campaign
BJP also released a 28-page booklet detailing how HD Kumaraswamy’s earlier ‘Grama Vastavya’ or village stay drives failed to create an impact.
The BJP on Monday criticised Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and the JD(S)-Congress coalition government for allegedly overspending on the CM’s hyped village stay or ‘Grama Vastavya’ programme. “He has resumed the village stay programme just to distract the public from the massive failure in governance in the 13 months of his tenure,” state BJP president BS Yeddyurappa told reporters, as he released a booklet titled “Grama Vastavya, Shunya Sadhana”, which roughly translates to ‘Zero Accomplishments in Village Stay’. “He is spending crores of rupees on his village stays. During his stay in Chandargi village this year, Rs 1.22 crore was spent on arranging food and other things. The person who has said that travelling in a helicopter around the state will burden the people, has spent Rs 1. 22 crore on this village stay. If the CM is raising his voice in support of farmers, he should answer their concerns; instead, he is crying crocodile tears. Actually, he is running his government from a five-star hotel,” he claimed. The 28-page booklet details the impact of Kumaraswamy’s stay in 42 villages during his first stint as the CM, back in 2006, when he came to power in coalition with the BJP. The BJP said that N Ravikumar, the party’s state General Secretary and also a Member of Legislative Council (MLC), personally visited several villages and collected information from the district functionaries of the BJP to compile this report. Among the 42 assessments, the BJP also highlighted Kumaraswamy’s 2008 stay in Ramanagara, which was the CM’s constituency then. Currently, Ramanagara is held by his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy. The assessment read, “CM Kumaraswamy stayed at the residence of one Lakappa in Jattidoodi village in Ramanagara. There were two toilets in the entire village of 26 houses, and provisions under ST quota have not reached the village. Owner of the house was not allowed to stay inside the house because of the CM’s visit, yet he had food prepared by Lakappa's wife. Residents of the village got 10-15 minutes to meet the CM. He promised to build houses and toilets. He also promised jobs for students, drainage and Anganwadis in the village. But they have not received anything. It was only two years ago that the village got a concrete road.” The CM’s office could not be reached for comment. Incidentally, a report by The New Indian Express on Sunday said that the government spending on the CM’s stay at Chandarki village in Yadgir district cost more than Rs 1 crore, despite the CM taking a state-run bus to reach there and sleeping only on a mat. Quoting anonymous officials, the report said that Rs 50 lakh was spent on providing food to the visitors and another Rs 50 lakh on setting up makeshift offices and making other arrangements. The booklet also poses 10 questions to the CM, all centred around the condition of farmers. Other questions pertained to the alleged kickbacks received by the current regime for proposing the controversial absolute sale deal with Jindal in Ballari. What is CM's village stay drive? The initiative was started by HD Kumaraswamy in his first tenure as the CM as a means of reaching out directly to the people and listening to their grievances at their doorstep. However, over the years, this move has been criticised by the Opposition as nothing but a “political gimmick”. Ahead of his visit on Friday, addressing the reporters, the CM has said, “Twelve years ago, when I was the CM, I wanted to realise Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of swaraj (self-governance). He had said that the country will achieve freedom only when each and every village in the country has the basic necessities to improve the livelihood of its people. Grama Vastavya is what I believe would be a way to realise Gandhiji’s dreams. By every evening during my village stay, I will review all the problems – short-term and long-term. Those issues that can be sorted out the same evening will be done so.” He added, “I have taken it as a challenge. I will change gears and make Karnataka the number one state in the country in terms of development. I will win back people’s confidence so much so that they would repent for not voting for us in the Lok Sabha elections.’
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Faced with anti-rabies vaccine shortage, Karnataka govt hospitals turn to open market
In the meantime, some stock of the vaccine has been obtained from Kerala and is being distributed.
Image for representation
Various government hospitals throughout Karnataka have been reporting a shortage of anti-rabies vaccine (ARV), compelling the state government to directed hospitals to turn to private sources or the ‘open market’ to procure ARV for time being. A circular regarding the matter has been sent to government healthcare centres and health officials throughout the state. “For the time being, we have received a stock of the vaccines from Kerala which is being distributed to the hospitals which require it,” Dr Sajjan Shetty, Joint Director of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program, told TNM. “We have also issued a circular which has directed all government healthcare centers (hospitals and PHCs) to procure the drugs from an open market source using funds from the Arogya Raksha Samiti (ARS) and National Free Drug Supply (NFDS) as needed.” All hospitals and healthcare centres which fall under the government sector are entitled to use these funds to ensure that there is a stock of necessary drugs. The NFDS was instituted to provide high quality drugs and other pharmaceutical products and equipment to health institutions which fall under the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services. Government hospitals and healthcare centres obtain the drugs they need to maintain a stock from the Karnataka State Drugs Logistics and Warehousing Society. Tenders for the supply of drugs were issued in December 2018 and January 2019, but did not receive a good response. Officials looking into the situation have stated that another tender has been drawn up and that the problem will be sorted out soon. In Bengaluru, while government hospitals do not have enough stock of the vaccine, hospitals run by the BBMP have an adequate stock of both - the ARV as well as the Human Rabies immunoglobulin which is also administered to those who require it, a BBMP source told TNM. Anti-rabies vaccine is administered to people who present with dog bites or any other exposure to a rabies infected animal. It is given over a period of a few weeks in four doses.
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Would love to see half the Lok Sabha comprised of women: Sumalatha
Talking about raising the issues prevalent in the parliamentary constituency she represents, Sumalatha said revival of the lakes is on her priority.
Actor-turned-politician Sumalatha Ambareesh, who made history by becoming the first independent woman candidate to enter the Lok Sabha from Karnataka, envisions a House that comprises 50 per cent female members. "We have debated a lot about providing 33 per cent reservation to women in Lok Sabha. But why not 50 per cent? I would love to see half of the members in the House to be women," the MP from Mandya seat of Karnataka said. Equating her first day in the lower house to that of first day at school or college, she mused that she was learning to get acquainted with the formalities of the House. "My first time at Parliament was like the first day at school or college. It was a mix of nervousness and excitement. The learning curve however is exciting," she said. Even though she says that there were various challenges being an independent candidate, the MP asserted that it freed her from the burden of towing the line of a particular party and could raise the issues of her constituency independently. Talking about raising the issues prevalent in the parliamentary constituency she represents, she said revival of the lakes is on her priority. "During my campaign, I saw that many lakes have dried up. Women have to walk several miles to fill water to meet their daily requirement. I have already met the Jal Shakti Minister and have submitted a memorandum in this regard. "Mandya is a sugarcane growing belt. The farmers are not getting proper price for their produce; I want to raise this issue on priority. Connectivity and road infrastructure is another area of concern, which I would like to bring the government's attention to," she said. The 55-year-old, who lost her husband, Kannada actor-politician Ambareesh, last year reminisces that her plunge into politics was "purely accidental". "It was my husband who had nurtured this constituency. His supporters turned up in large numbers at his funeral, which touched me and I decided to contest. I did not care if I won or lost, I had to respect my husband's memory." Since her husband was a Congress leader, Sumalatha had sought the party ticket. However, the Congress decided to field Nikhil Kumaraswamy, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's son due to the coalition with the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S). "It was a long battle to victory, as I was contesting against the Chief Minister's son. The eight legislators in the parliamentary constituency were also from the ruling party of the state. A vitriolic campaign was launched against me and I was called an outsider, entering the political fray just months before the elections," she said. The MP however, said that she received support from unexpected quarters as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not field a candidate against her. "I received immense support from my people and I am grateful for that. I defeated my rival by 1.2 lakh votes in my debut election. I was disillusioned after my husband's death, but this win has given me immense hope to carry my husband's legacy forward." Though an independent candidate, Sumalatha expects support from the BJP government in the Centre in resolving the issues of her constituency. She said that she would give her support to the parties based on the issues. "I will support the decisions that benefit the people of my constituency as well as Karnataka."] An actor by profession, she has worked in over 200 films in all four South Indian languages as well as Hindi. "Going back to the film industry would depend upon the kind of projects I receive. But serving my people comes first and I want to concentrate on that right now," Sumalatha concluded.
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