Mangaluru : Scarcity of water in the Netravathi, the main source of water for drinking and industrial purpose, has forced the Mangaluru City Corporation to supply water once in two days from April 20.

Announcing this, B. Ramanath Rai, Minister in-charge of Dakshina Kannada and Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology, said that water would be supplied to industries and to people for drinking on alternate days from Wednesday.

Industries such as Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. and Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd. and the New Mangalore Port would also get water once in two days.

The Minister said that water storage at Thumbe vented dam and at AMR Hydel Power Project’s vented dam at Shambhoor, on the upstream of Thumbe, was enough for supplying for only 12 days. If water was supplied on alternate days, drinking water could be supplied till May 12.

The Minister said that water level at Thumbe dam on Monday stood at 9.6 ft. against the maximum level of 13 ft. On the same day last year water level at the dam was at 12.7 ft.

Water level at Shambhoor stood at 13.9 metres against the maximum level of 18.9 metres. The dam’s water level on the same day last year was 17.8 metres.

The Minister said that MRPL and industries under the special economic zone (SEZ) lifted water for industrial purpose from the Shamboor dam. If MRPL lifted six million gallons a day (MGD), industries under SEZ lifted eight MGD.

They would have to lift water on alternate days from Wednesday.

He said that the deficit in rainfall in Dakshina Kannada was 12 per cent in 2015. Its impact was being felt this year.

The Minister appealed to the people to use minimum water and not waste it.

Mayor Harinath said that the corporation would stop supplying water to construction sites from Tuesday. The builders who were getting water from the corporation would have to make their own arrangements.

J.R. Lobo, MLA, Mangaluru City South, suggested that the corporation to clean the open wells in the Bunder area and make people engaged in fishing to use the water.