Summer preparedness: DC orders advance steps to avert water crisis

With summer setting in and drinking water supply emerging as a key concern, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy on Tuesday directed officials to take advance precautionary measures to ensure that Mysuru district does not face a water shortage in the coming months.

Presiding over a meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority in his office here, Mr. Reddy reviewed the water availability in the KRS and Kabini reservoirs, and said the existing storage would be sufficient to meet drinking water requirements till the end of June.

He instructed officials of the Kabini Irrigation authorities to release water through canals from the Kabini reservoir as and when required to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply.

Emphasising the need for close monitoring of water availability and supply, the Deputy Commissioner asked Tahsildars to conduct weekly review meetings at the taluk level, along with officials of the Rural Drinking Water Department and Taluk Panchayat Executive officers, to assess the drinking water situation.

On the risk of forest fires in summer, Mr. Reddy directed the Forest Department and the Fire and Emergency Services Department to work in coordination and implement preventive measures. Referring to last year’s fire incident on Chamundi Hills, he stressed the need for heightened vigilance during the summer months.

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer S. Yukesh Kumar said villages that are likely to face drinking water scarcity should be identified in advance for preventive steps. He called for the installation of on-and-off caps on water taps and said borewells would be drilled wherever necessary to meet drinking water needs.

Mysuru City Corporation Commissioner Shaikh Tanveer Asif, Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr. P. Shivaraju, and officials from various departments attended the meeting.