Increasing heat, Depleting water in DK Dams
Mangaluru: Water level is rapidly depleting in the dams across D K district due to intense heat. Thumbe dam, supplying water to the 60 wards of Mangalore municipality, has seen a rapid decrease in the water level and the extreme heat has also contributed to increased evaporation rate.
The water level in Thumbe dam which was 6m in the first week of March has seen a rapid decrease eversince. The level went down to 5.93m on Friday, 5.88m on Saturday and 5.85m on Sunday. All the gates of the dam have been closed now and the water is being pumped back from downstream continuously.
District Collector Mullai Mugilan and Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr Anand have informed that there has been no shortage of drinking water in the district till now. As it is normal for Bajpe, Kotekar and Ullal to face water scarcity in the month of March every year, water tankers have been employed to supply water to people there.
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In spite of the areas around Bantwal, Sullia, Puttur and Belthangady not facing any water scarcity, there has been a rapid decrease in the water flow in the rivers and streams in these zones. The check dams built across the various rivers in the district have enough storage of water. Payaswini River, the life line of Sullia, has seen a decrease in water flow too but its dam has enough water stored. The check dams in Belthangady supplying water to the urban areas have good water but the rivers are running low. The Netravati River near Dharmasthala saw massive death of fish due to reduced water, ten days ago. The situation is not entirely different in Puttur and Bantwal.
Continuous depletion of ground water table across the years in the district has made the bore wells run dry in summer seasons.
The water level in MMR dam, upstream of Thumbe dam, saw a reduction to 18.08m on March 16 from 18.11m on the previous day.
Traditional wells in Ullal, Kolya and Kotekar have seen reduced water from February, as usual. Many areas in Someshwara Town Panchayat are either dependent on well or bore well water. Along with this, the panchayat also supplies water through pipelines once in two days for fixed timings.
The DC has already notified that any use of water around Thumbe dam for irrigation must be immediately ceased until Mangalore city is free of a looming water crisis.
Water supply to the industries has also been asked to cut down depending on the water level in the dam.
DC Mullai Mugilan has said that as there is a reasonable water storage in Thumbe, AMR and Biliyoor dams, there shall be no immediate rationing of water in the city.
“However, the public has a huge role to play by sensible use of drinking water in this summer”, he added.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
