Mangaluru: Residents on Wednesday urged the district administration to immediately stop the construction of a wet well for the underground drainage (UGD) system in Ullal, in assembly speaker UT Khader’s constituency. They gathered near the project site as the situation grew tense, prompting police deployment.Former MLC BM Farookh, in a letter to Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner, said the wet well being built near the seashore posed a serious threat to public health and the environment, especially given the densely populated coastal location.
He said the wet well would cause health hazards and endanger groundwater. “It is pertinent to note that the groundwater level in the locality is nine feet deep, and the sea is at a distance of 200 metres from high tide. During the rainy season, the entire area will be inundated with rainwater, posing health hazards. Further, the wet well will also pollute air and water and pose a threat to the health and well-being of the residents,” he stated.Farookh, who headed the govt assurance committee, said the committee had submitted a report advising against the project as the detailed project report (DPR) was prepared in 2007. He added that the area has about 150 open wells and 90 borewells used for drinking water and domestic needs, and demanded that the district administration stop the work.Activist Muneer Katipalla said the wet well was coming up in a densely populated area. “The surrounding residents are greatly concerned about the issue, but their voices are being forcibly silenced. Wednesday, when water was found at 10 feet during construction of the wet well, a few locals gathered to question the workers. In response, police in large numbers arrived at the scene,” he stated in a release.
