Mangaluru: With an increase in the number of devotees visiting the piligrim centre of Kollur in Udupi district, where the exponent of Advaita philosophy, Adi Shankaracharya, established the Sri Mookambika Temple, steps are being taken to provide a modern underground drainage (UGD) system and drinking water supply to the village.

The construction of the drinking water project and UGD work have already been taken up by the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB). There are about 375 houses in Kollur village. Its population is about 3,000.

According to H. Krishnamurthy, Assistant Exeutive Officer, Mookambika Temple, the pilgrim centre receives between 3,000 to 5,000 persons per day. This number goes up to about 10,000 per day during important festivals such as Maha Navaratri, he said.

Hence, the government is simplementing a drinking water project at a cost of RS.24.67 crore and an underground drainage system at a cost of RS. 19.97 crore. Under the drinking water project, a vented dam will come up at Kashi Hole, about a km from Kollur, where a jackwell plant too will be set up .The water will be lifted from here to the Water Purification Plant at Kalyani Gudde about 2 km from Kashi Hole.

According to Prakash D.K., engineer at the temple, the capacity of the drinking water project is 2.5 million litres per day (MLD). The project includes an overhead tank and an underground water tank. The temple and its guesthouses alone require about three lakh litres of water per day. “The vented dam is awaiting clearance from the Department of Forests. We expect it to be completed by November, 2018,” Priyanka Mary Francis, Deputy Commissioner, told.

The UGD project includes the construction of a sewage treatment plant, a wetwell and about 400 manholes. About 9.5 km of drainage pipelines were being laid as part of the project. The sewage treatment plant is expected to come up near the junior college hostel in Kollur. The UGD work would be completed by March, 2018.

The implementation of the underground drainage system will also put on an end to the pollution of the Souparnika that flows in front of the temple. The pollution of the river had even led to the ‘Save Souparnika’ campaign a couple of years ago.

“Many business establishments are releasing their sewage into the Souparnika. These establishments would get connected to UGD network putting an end to the pollution,” said Mr. Krishnamurthy.