Mangaluru: A recent proposal by experts to the state government on diverting excess water from River Netravathi, has rekindled fears in the region about Netravathi diversion project. Activists who always feared that the controversial Yettinahole project was just the mask of Netravathi diversion, feel that their fear is likely to come true after experts recently proposed to the state government to construct reservoirs and use the excess water flowing to Arabian Sea during the monsoon!
“From the beginning we suspected that Yettinahole project was just a mask and the real project was Netravati diversion. Fearing opposition from the people to Netravati diversion, the government changed the name to Yettinahole project, to show that it was only pumping water from a small tributary of Netravathi. But the recent proposal by experts to the Chief Minister on diverting excess water from Netravathi to cities like Bengaluru shows that Yettinahole Project would in future become Netravathi diversion project. All the tributaries of Netravathi would be diverted,” activist M.G. Hegde told DC.
“Government’s stand on Netravati is different from its stand on the Cauvery. In the Cauvery issue, the Karnataka government says that the water needs of Karnataka have to be served first before letting water flow to TN. Going by the same argument, the government should undertake Yettinahole project or Netravathi diversion only if there is enough water in Dakshina Kannada district where people face shortage of water after January. There is nothing like excess of water in Netravathi,” he said.
“Ministers of our district who claimed that Yettinahole project was not Netravathi diversion, should make their stand clear now,” he demanded.
