Environment

Karnataka Temple Asks Devotees To Postpone Visit Due To Water Crisis

The 800 years old Dharmasthala Temple, or Manjunatheshwara Temple in Dharmasthala has asked devotees to postpone their temple visits due to acute water shortage in the Dakshina Kannada region.

In a statement, Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade said that the water scarcity crisis is worsening in Dakshina Kannada district, and the temple too is suffering from the effects of it.

“Water crisis in the temple is worsening every day as the flow in the Netravathi river has reduced drastically. There is a huge requirement of water as devotees keep visiting the temple. Hence, I request devotees to postpone their visit by a few days and cooperate,” Veerendra Heggade said. The temple is a religious institution that was established more than 800 years ago.

Water scarcity has hit several parts of Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district, which receives over 4000 mm of rainfall. With storage enough for about a fortnight at Thumbe dam across Netravathi, Mangaluru City Corporation has resorted to water rationing. However, the officials maintain that adequate precautions have been taken to ensure water supply to residents in Dakshina Kannada till the arrival of monsoon. Much to everyone’s relief, Mangaluru received its first spell pre-monsoon showers yesterday.

More than 10,000 devotees visit Dharmasthala every day and the temple also provides free meals to all devotees daily, which requires huge amounts of water. Since water is being rationed in the district, the temple will not be able to serve all its devotees.

[related_post]

According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), freshwater flow has stopped in all major rivers in the coastal belt including Netravathi, Phalguni, Swarna, Chakra, Varahi, Sharavathi, Aghanashini and Kali – all of which are located in the coastal belt. Groundwater levels have depleted and reached 30-40 metres below ground level in Mangaluru. Water level has reached the dead-storage limit in Baje dam across the Swarna river, which is the main source of water for Udupi. Almost all major rivers in the region, and south India in particular, are rain fed rivers.

The KSNDMC officials further explained that the depletion of groundwater and the decreasing reservoir levels have resulted in water shortage in the coastal belt. The water crisis is also due to the depletion of groundwater with over 1,000 borewells in the district running dry, the official added.

The move by the temple authorities is certainly unusual, and very rare. To say it points to the water scarcity in the region is an understatement. One hopes authorities will take this as a divine warning to start fixing the issues, be it more aggressive water harvesting in the region or conservation.

I am Renew

Recent Posts

John Cockerill secures India’s largest electrolyzer supply order from AM Green

AM Green has placed India's largest electrolyzer order with John Cockerill Hydrogen for one of…

4 days ago

Cultivating A Thriving Biofuel Ecosystem: What It Takes To Fuel India’s Green Future

By-Nipun OS  India's energy goals for the next two decades are threefold: achieve energy security,…

6 days ago

India’s biogas sector to offer opportunities for the next 5-10 years: Jan and Anting, Weber Entec

How do you find the Indian CBG market on this visit? What’s the general sentiment?…

7 days ago

BAUR FOLIEN now market leader worldwide; ideally fit for India: MIROSLAV BENKA, MD

MIROSLAV BENKA, MD of BAUR FOLIEN talks to I am Renew and explains its business…

7 days ago

To step-up biogas solutions worldwide, Sistema.bio acquires Inclusive Energy

Biogas developer & innovator, Sistema.bio has acquired Bengaluru headquartered Inclusive Energy (IE) which is at…

1 week ago

ARYA raises 100 crore to develop biogas projects

ARYA, the project development division of GPS Renewables, has secured INR 100 crore in mezzanine…

1 week ago