The people of villages in Gadag, Dharwad and Bagalkot districts in Karnataka have struggled for decades in their quest for equitable access to drinking water.
Akkamma, a student, travels 2 km twice a day to fetch water from Kalkere, a pond on the outskirts of her village Hombala. Here, it is quite common to see people ferrying pots in pushcarts, bicycles and motorbikes to draw water either from borewells or the nearest ponds and lakes.
The Kalasa Banduri Nala project under the Mahadayi project is just one of the long-pending proposals for the region. The villagers say it is the lack of political will that is the root cause of the problem in the region, which has given the State several Chief Ministers.
Water contamination is another issue that the villagers struggle with. A pond in Naragund has become so polluted that it is being used now only for washing clothes and bathing cattle. Water supplied by purifying units comes at a hefty price.
The delayed monsoon is a cause of concern this year. Farmers worry how to prepare the land for sowing jowar and paddy. The delay in the rains has affected the flow of the Malaprabha river. The water level has dropped at the Renukasagar reservoir at Naviluteertha in Saundatti taluk of Belagavi district. Thousands depend on the Malaprabha to meet drinking water and irrigation needs. Mismanagement in the distribution of water has exacerbated the problem.
BHAGYAPRAKASH.K@THEHINDU.CO.IN
