Mangaluru: Environmentalists from the National Environment Care Federation (NECF) issued a warning that large parts of the city could be flooded during the monsoon. On Thursday, they inspected a temporary bund built across the Phalguni River as part of the Thannirbhavi–Sulthan Battery overbridge construction.
According to the NECF, the bund could obstruct the smooth flow of River Phalguni into the sea. This would create backpressure from River Nethravati, pushing water back into the Phalguni and causing flooding in low-lying areas.
Shashidhar Shetty, honorary secretary of NECF, told TOI that gushing water from the Western Ghats would flood Malemar, Kuntikana, Abakka Nagar, and Derebail. Water levels could rise up to 4 feet, forcing residents to evacuate their homes.
Suresh Udupa, a member of NECF, explained that last year debris was piled up to one-third of the riverbank on both sides, leaving a portion in the middle for water flow. “Now it has been filled, and small cement pipes are placed for water to flow. This time, certainly, flooding will happen,” he said.
Udupa dismissed the possibility of the bund breaking during high monsoon flow. Instead, he stated that high tides from the Nethravati would push water upward into the Phalguni river, ultimately flooding the region.
The NECF also raised concerns about increasing pollution in the river, which flows adjacent to the city’s industrial region. Citing tests conducted by the organisation in a government lab, Udupa alleged that the river recorded E. coli at about 28,000 parts per million (ppm), compared to 800–900 ppm mentioned in the Union government’s report on highly polluted water.
Shetty noted that despite the pollution board issuing show-cause notices to the corporation several times, there was no accountability. “Authorities will fine the common man if the PUC certificate lapses by one day, but are silent now,” he added.
