Bengaluru : Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy chaired a meeting in Bengaluru on Friday to discuss the water crisis in Dakshina Kannada and, in particular, in Dharmasthala.

Following the acute water crisis in Dharmasthala, Dr R Selvamani, Zilla Panchayat chief executive officer, had visited the place recently, on the directions of the chief minister. According to sources, Selvamani has said that Dharmadhikari Dr D Veerendra Heggade had proposed the construction of two vented dams in order to mitigate the water crisis. Officers at the Minor Irrigation Department have submitted a proposal to construct a vented dam across Neriyahole and across River Nethravathi in Dharmasthala at an estimated cost of Rs 7 crore.

The chief minister directed the officials to approve the proposal and initiate measures to construct vented dams immediately.

With regard to the water crisis in Mangaluru, District In-charge Minister U T Khader stressed on the need to impound water up to a height of seven metres in the Thumbe dam.

At present, water is impounded up to a height a six metres. An amount of Rs 130 crore is needed to compensate farmers owning 344 acres of land that will be submerged when the dam is raised to a height of seven metres, he added.

The chief minister reportedly directed the minister to submit a proposal immediately.

He also directed Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil to study the pros and cons of setting up a desalination unit in Thannirbavi beach by MRPL and submit a report. He favoured the rehabilitation of families residing in 150 houses affected by sea erosion in Ullal on the lines of Kodagu model.

Khader had informed that boulders worth crores of rupees are dumped every year to check sea erosion. The boulders, however, were no match and were washed away by the waves.