JOIN USThough Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat cannot stop basking over success of underground water recharge scheme introduced in Kolnadu and Munnur Gram Panchayats there are stills several pockets in Kolnadu GP limits where there is acute shortage of drinking water.
Kadumata SC Colony is one of such places where the residents have been put to problem since three months owing to water woes. The issue is that the region does not have any source of water. The hilly, dry terrain has caused failure of bore well points across the colony. Apart from existing two bore points which are not very reliable, the Gram Panchayat ventured into digging one more bore which failed utterly.
The residents of Kadumata are raged over the GP because they feel that the GP is inactive.
“There are two wells in the colony. While one has adequate water the other dries up during summer season. The GP should take at least some steps to supply us water from these sources. They used to supply water in tanker but that has stopped several months ago,” says a woman from the colony who has walked miles to one of the wells to wash clothes and to carry potable water home.
This is a usual scene around the two wells in the colony. Women have been walking from nook and corner of the colony spreading over acres of land to these two wells to wash clothes and to draw water, in turns.
There is an anganwadi functioning in the colony. The anganwadi does not have a building of its own so it is functional in the cramped ‘Ambedkar Bhavan’. The teacher and helper here have a task to do before starting their anganwadi work. That is, fill adequate quantity of water from the well in buckets and containers for the entire day’s use.
“The roads in the colony have chipped off completely because of which the parents do not send their children to the centre anymore fearing accidents. The number of children at the centre has dwindled to just four from fifteen. These four children are from homes next to the centre,” says the anganwadi teacher.
Gopal Kadumata, a leader of the community and Member of District Legal Services Authority says that the Colony has distinct feature because this is the only colony where there are members of just one caste of SCs that is the ‘Baira’ living here. There are about 70 Baira families living in Kadumata colony. He says that though he has brought the issue to the notice of the Panchayat and even to the notice of the Superintendent of Police during the recently held SC/St grievances meet, he is awaiting action.
Action
Gram Panchayat President Subhashchandra Shetty said that the Panchayat is fully aware of the problem in the colony and is determined to solve the problem.
“The problem needs scientific solutions. Going on digging bore wells cannot be a solution in Kadumata,” he said adding that Kadumata will be one of the priority regions to be provided water under Antharamoole Water Supply Scheme.
In this programme water will be pumped from Uppala river to areas like Kadumata, Madakatte, Karayi, Antharmoole and Barebettu along with others.
The President is sure that on commissioning of this scheme the water woes of Kadumata as well as nearby areas will be solved completely.