Karnataka minister holds meeting to tackle water scarcity in industrial areas

BENGALURU: Karnataka Minister for Commerce & Industries, Infrastructure MB Patil chaired a meeting here on Monday to address the drinking water problem in the state’s industrial areas.

“Commerce & Industries Minister MB Patil held a meeting with various departments here on Monday and discussed finding effective solutions to solve the drinking water problem faced by various industrial areas of the state. Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge was also present,” as per a press release.

Officials of BWSSB, the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board and the Rural Water Supply Department participated in the meeting convened at Khanija Bhawan.

“Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that the industrial areas of Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapurs, Tumkuru and Kolar districts are facing severe drinking water problems. Further, the Dharwada industrial area requires 45 MLD of drinking water every day that can be supplied from the Hidkal reservoir,” as per the release.

𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬

Chaired a meeting along with shri @PriyankKharge , Rural Development Minister at Khanija Bhavan, Bengaluru, to address the issue of acute water scarcity in our… pic.twitter.com/OraL5eSxl1

— M B Patil (@MBPatil) February 5, 2024

“Likewise, the Vijayapura industrial area also needs to be supplied with the same amount of drinking water from the Krishna Reservoir daily. Kalaburagi industrial area needs 7 MLD of drinking water from the Krishna and Bhima rivers, the Ballary industrial area needs 13 MLD from the Tungabhadra dam, and the Raichuru industrial area needs 13 MLD from the Krishna river,” Patil said.

Expressing concern about the problem, he said, “Put together, all the above districts require a total of 290 MLD of water daily. If the required water supply is not ensured, the industrial growth of the state will suffer.”

The industrial areas of Tumkuru, Bengaluru, Kolara, and Chikkaballapura located in the Old Mysuru region have already been using treated wastewater for industrial purposes. However, there is a severe shortage of drinking water in these places. Hence, the availability of volume of water and sources from which it can be supplied need to be identified and another meeting would be held in this regard in a week or so, Patil added.

The supply of drinking water to industries is a primary responsibility and it is one of the basic facilities necessary for the growth of industries in the state, he opined. (ANI)