'Jal' fails to fill water bodies in Bangarpet taluk

Ground water has hit the nadir in the taluk and one has to dig at least up to 1,000 feet to get water.   Bereft of any irrigation facility, the farmers of the taluk are totally dependent on rain water for agriculture. They had pinned their hopes on the rain that would at least fill the tanks and ponds.

As many as 300 houses were damaged following ‘Jal’, besides causing de-aths and injuries.
The cyclone also left a trail of destruction of properties in the taluk. Tomato, ragi and potato crops in thousands  of acres of land were destroyed.

The Bethamangala lake, which meets the water needs of KGF, hasn’t yet been filled.  Only a few small tanks in the taluk are filled to the brim. They cannot be of much use  for agriculture purposes.  The primary canals in the taluk are blocked or have been encroached upon, thus cutting off water supply to the tanks.

Repair works of the tank bunds have not been taken up and the tanks are filled with silt. Hence, the tanks     in the taluk have not filled up, even though it has rained well.

Bheemanna, a farmer in Hirekarapanahalli, says that the taluk administration should take steps towards evicting encroachers from tank beds and help collection of water.