Mangaluru: With protest against Yettinahole in DK district intensifying and with protests for implementation of the same gearing up in parched districts of the state, the state government has constituted a five-member committee to study the implementation of Yettinahole drinking water project and availability of other water resources to mitigate drinking water woes of drought-prone Kolar and Chikkballapur districts.

                                                       Yettinahole project underway

The government has asked the newly constituted committee headed by Central Water Commissioner former chairman A K Bajaj to submit a report within six months.

The other members of the Committe are Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) former chairman BN Thyagaraj, Indian Institute of Science Geologist Ram Prasad,  Environmentalist A.N. Yellappa Reddy and Managing Director of Karnataka Neeravari Nigama/Yettinahole and Upper Bhadra Project Neeravari Nigama Ltd. (newly formed corporation).

It is said that the committee will not just study availability of water in Yettinahole, but will also study availability of water resources for drinking purpose in the Krishna river valley, Mekedatu, Sharavathi, Aghanashini and supply of water by treating sewage water from the Koramangala-Challaghatta Valley (KC Valley) project to two districts.

The government also set up a co-ordination committee of 10 members and all members are senior officials of various departments, including Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Urban Development, Water Resources, Finance, Revenue, Forest, Minor Irrigation, chairman of BWSSB, and the Managing Director of Karnataka Neeravari Nigama/Yettinahole and Upper Bhadra Project Neeravai Nigama Ltd.