Clamour for funds to tackle drinking water shortage

Hard hit by consecutive droughts, in the last two years, taluks in Malnad region, have not been able to meet the drinking water shortage.

Such has been the distress situation that MLAs of the Malnad and eternally drought-hit Chikballapur district, dread facing the people in the constituency during the coming elections for fear of incuring their wrath. 

Janata Dal (Secular) MLA Sunil V Hegde of Haliyal constituency, Uttara Kannada district, N Sampangi of Bagepalli constitutency, Chikballapur district, and Congress MLA Kimmane Rathnakar of Thirthahalli raised the issue in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday participating in the discussion on drought and drinking water shortage.

Rathnakar, observed that, in Thirthahalli there was severe shortage of drinking water in many villages due to lack of infrastructure facilities to supply available water. The worst affected are schools.

Stating that the request for sanction of money to improve water availability has fallen on the deaf ears of government, he said, the task force, headed by him (as MLA) was not getting money and hence, has not been able to sanction borewells.
He exhorted the government to sanction Rs 2 crore forthwith.

Crisis

Joining the issue, H K Kumaraswamy, JD(S) MLA of Sakaleshpur said water shortage was so acute in his constituency that at least 100 borewells were required in each taluk. Sampangi too called upon the government to provide money to the task force headed by him immediately to tackle the problem.

Likewise, Sunil Hegde said while Haliyal taluk had been declared drought-hit, Joida was not.

“Joida has 87 pc forest cover. Still, there is severe shortage of drinking water. The task force and zilla panchayat have no money to drill new borewells. Declare Joida drought affected and sanction money,” he told the government. In his reply, Revenue Minister K S Eshwarappa said the government would release Rs 450 crore to migitate drinking water problem in the next few months.

The government had issued directions for release of Rs 30 lakh per assembly constituency to meet drinking water requirements. While Rs 47 crore had already been released, an additional Rs 53 crore would be released in a week, he said. Besides, the government would release Rs 125 crore in March and April to meet drinking water requirements, he added.