Bengaluru sources have stated that the State government has decided to go slow on its plan to drill deep in search of ‘untapped water’ after the “Patala Gange” proposal was met with severe incredulity among geologists and scientists. It was stated that after an intensive meeting on Monday, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj H.K. Patil said the Patala Gange proposal where Karnataka may be among the first States to attempt drilling for ‘seawater distillate’ will be deferred until another set of consultations among experts is held.
He said “We will take all the views and then make a decision in the Cabinet". Mr. Patil said this “novel technology” was accredited by the Union government during a recent meeting of ‘water-stressed’ States, including Karnataka. “We have asked the company to drill first and prove the concept, following which we can expand it. If water is not found, we do not pay for it. If it works, it can act as contingency for drinking water in drought-prone areas such as Pavagada (Tumakuru) or Indi (Vijayapura). The State government is open-minded in this,” Mr. Patil said.
According to the presentation by WaterQuest,
drilling supplemented by concrete casing can produce up to 1 lakh litres per
hour with “no environmental impact”. The company claimed that this was a
“perennial and sustainable” water source. Sources have also added that many
scientists, geologists and professors, who gathered at the consultation
meeting, said this was too good to be true. They questioned the credibility of
the company as well as the technology proposed. H. Chandrashekar, former Joint
Director, Department of Mines and Geology said “It is unscientific to think
that seawater evaporates in channels in the crust. It is a scientific
fantasy".
Similarly, B.C. Prabhakar, geology professor in Bangalore University, termed the concept as fundamentally flawed. He said “Saline water intrusion is only seen in the coast, and not 300km inland as the company claims". With no suitable scientific literature found, Subash Chandra, principal scientist with National Geophysical Research Institute, said “Technically, it is very hard to confirm this technology.”
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