UDUPI: District minister Pramod Madhwaraj reviewed the existing water level at Baje Dam on Thursday. He told mediapersons later"The main water source for Udupi is Baje Dam. Compared to last year, the water level is 32cm less. Last year, it was 5.62 metres but now it's 5.3 metres. The water here will be enough till April-end. To ensure water lasts for another month, we need to start rationing now."He added, "The inflow from Shiroor has reduced. To cope with the crisis, we'll soon lift water from Shirooru pits. There are water sources at Erlapadi and if necessary, water will be lifted from there too. For the KUDSEMP scheme, we used Rs 102 crore to improve the distribution line by installing overhead tanks and increasing the pumping capacity. Before constructing the Simra Dam, a hydrological survey will be done to check the capacity and then we'll initiate the DPR and tender process."Udupi has a 800-km distribution pipeline. Once there's no water supply, people use water from the pipe. To refill the pipe, 16 hours of pumping is required. To handle this problem, 24/7 electricity will be supplied to Baje area. Manipal and Hiryadlka express corridors are in this area and drinking water supply will be given priority.Kudi Srinivas Bhat, a farmer, said, "Shirooru Phase 2 is not enough to meet the water needs of Udupi. For seven years, we've been asking for a new dam and Bavukere, and Shimbra (end-point) and use it for drinking water purpose."This river has 2-ft deep silt and removal of sand from a few places won't help. Dredging is required but despite requests, the CMC has not bothered to do it. Rationing or stopping farmers from using water for agriculture every year is not the solution. When the water level comes down in the river, the storage space should be increased.Raghu Nayak, a farmer who owns 2 acres, said, "We demand water once a week for our farm. If it doesn't reach us, our plants will die. Here, 68 farmers use 359hp pumps. We use well water for drinking too."Another farmer with 6 acres said, "We don't have a provision to get Ganga Kalyan Yojana as it is available only for farmers with 2.5 acres. If we can apply under the scheme, we can drill borewells which will solve the problem to some extent."

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