Moodubelle: Ankudru Vented Dam-Prompt Action by the Zilla Panchayat, but still much to do......

By Benedict Noronha, Advocate, Udupi
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 29 May 2011: The multi-purpose vented dam at Ankudru in Belle Village was completed in June 2010 with facilities to pass small vehicles through it from Moodubelle to Padubelle, Pamboor and thereon to  Manasa and  further to Bantakal, Shirva or Shankerapura. Besides providing water for irrigation and drinking purposes, with flat surface on the top of it, the vented dam was also intended for facilitating the approach of the Kabyadi, Dindottu, Kurdai and Pamboor residents to Moodubelle for various purposes.

 

Unfortunately, the vented dam was not put to proper use as the planks to close the vents and to block the water into storage on the upper side of the dam have not yet been procured. The store room meant to keep the planks in safe custody is empty. Moreover, the roads connecting the vented dam were not properly laid which should have been done following the end of the monsoon last year or at least from January 2011.

 

 

Following my visit to the vented dam site while going to my home at Kurdai in February 2011, and seeing the pathetic condition of the roads on both sides of the dam, i though that something has to be done in order to see the successful completion of the project. Hence, on my way back, i halted at the dam site and made an observation of the dam as well as the surrounding regions and also clicked few pictures so as to highlight the condition of the dam and the roads on the sides of the dam.

 

In order to find out the reason for the delay in completing the work of the roads and the vented dam itself, i sent a letter to the Udupi Zilla Panchayath    engineer on February 22, 2011, who in turn passed it to the Small-scale Irrigation Department who asked the  Belle Grama Panchayat to look into the matter.

 

When I contacted the Secretary of the Belle Grama Panchayat on phone in order to find out the response of the Panchayat administration towards the vented dam and the connecting roads, he was evasive and put forward several excuses for not completing the work on the vented dam and said that the responsibility of the project was that of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat . As I could not get any satisfactory reply from any one of the above authorities, I sent another letter pointing out the anomalies regarding the vented dam and the approach roads  to  the Chief Executive Officer of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat  on May 7, 2011 which was received by him on May 9, 2011.

 

Following the receipt of my letter, the Chief Executive Officer acted promptly  and got the work on the roads and culverts done  through the Belle Grama  Panchayat. As it was reported to me, the  work was personally supervised by the member of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat, Mrs. Ida Gibba D’Souza of Belle  representing Shirva Constituency. The road through the Kabyady paddy  fields is done by laying large pipes so as to allow the  flood water to flow  and  prevent breach of the road by rain water. However, road at the river edge is required to be done after the floods recede following  the monsoon with permanent laying of either concrete or strong asphalting so that  the vented dam cum mini bridge could be made use of by small vehicles such as  motor cycles, auto-rickshaws  small cars and tempos.

 

The above developments were personally inspected by me on Sunday, May 22, 2011. Though I could drive my small car across the vented dam, I found that the road through the paddy fields is haphazardly done with thin layer of mud above the cement culvert pipes. There is a fear that with the onset of the monsoon, the thin and lose layer of mud will wash away leaving the road once again in bad shape and condition which will require additional funds to rectify the erosion and make it worthy of use.

 

 

I also noticed that on the southern edge of  the bridge the soil erosion has created a gap between the concrete wall supporting the bridge and the river bank which, if not rectified in time may lead to greater erosion during the coming monsoon which may cause a major damage to  the dam itself.

 

Observing certain boats near the bridge and special approach roads by the side of the vented dam, I suspect that certain vested interests are carrying on sand mining at the site. The sand mining activities in proximity to the vented dam may cause irreparable damage to the dam.  It is necessary that the concerned authorities should take necessary action and prevent the sand mining in the area.

 

Though, the Udupi Zilla Panchayat has taken prompt action in response to my letter, a lot of work is to be done in terms of providing the planks to block the vents and to store water during the lean period; preventing the soil erosion at the southern end of the dam and providing all season durable roads across the vented dam.