BENGALURU: Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), defunct for the past 15 years now, may the answer to the perennial water shortage in Kolar district.
An expert committee has given the green signal for a proposal to recycle the toxic water that has collected in several thousand kilometres of tunnels running underground in the gold mine. The water is contaminated with arsenic and fluoride.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil, who had constituted the committee headed by geologist Radhakrishna to study the feasibility of tapping waste water, is elated with its report.
Patil told Express that according to the committee, the country has the technology to process toxic water and it is also economically viable. He said the cost to make the water fit for human consumption is estimated at just 2 paise per litre.
Patil said though the quantum of water in the tunnels is yet to be ascertained, it is acknowledged to be a vast reservoir. The gold mine could well prove to be a long-term source of water for this arid region, which is bereft of any big river and receives scanty rainfall, Patil said.
A high-level meeting of officials and technical experts will be convened within the next few days to discuss the issue and decide on the next course of action, he said.