No end to water woes in district this year too

It was just another year in the history of Kolar with struggles for a permanent irrigation facility, but with little headway.

The years of struggle for a permanent irrigation failed to get a decisive turn this year too.

The district, however, suffered drought this year.

With no preventive measures in sight, borewells, the lone source of water in the drought-hit district are going dry. Ground water table has depleted to a dangerously low level. The long-pending project of clearing encroachments on tanks and other water bodies didn’t take off this year too.

The State government spent crores of rupees to tackle drinking water crisis throughout the year. However, there has been no visible change in the ground reality. The gravity of the water shortage could be gauged from the fact that even some members of the Kolar City Municipal Council resorted to a dharna against commissioner.

While Union Minister K H Muniyappa succeeded in holding his sway over the City Municipal Council, the urban local body failed to deliver goods.

While the crawling Yaragol project has reached High Court, there have been clamours for giving effect to the HC direction on restarting mining at Kolar Gold Fields.

The year also saw communal tension with meat pieces allegedly found at a temple in Ammavaripet in Kolar city. The protest against the Bhagavadgita Abhiyaan too generated much heat.

Three civic workers were asphyxiated during the manual cleaning of inspection chambers in Kolar Gold Fields in October.

There was no remarkable progress in the district during the year.