JOIN USThe island of Karge Jooga is reminiscent of the island in Na Dsouza’s famed short story, ‘Dweepa’. When it rains, the island is literally cut off from the rest of the region. A bridge across River Kali to connect the island-village with its neighbouring towns is crucial, writes Lakshmana T Naik
This island is called Karge Jooga. How it got its name is not known, but this island has a Konkani name because it is a mere 26 km away from neighbouring Goa. If you take the 21-km road from Karwar to this place, you are bound to come across a town called Halaga. Before you reach Halaga, you will definitely get to see Sadashivagad’s forts and broken citadels. It was from here that Keladi’s ruler Sadashivaraya ruled. Next to this fort is the famous Kali bridge.
Halaga is a village on the National Highway that leads to Haliyal. Take a right turn and travel a further three km to reach Ulaga village. Two more km from there and you will reach River Kali. Cross the river and you reach the island of Karge Jooga. But if you have to reach Karge Jooga, you have to wait for the boatman to ferry you across the river.
This 1.5-km ride is a great one if you are a tourist, but not if one happens to live here and experience it every other day. Midway through the ride across the river, one comes across a half-submerged structure. A raftmade of six big wooden logs will take you to the other side. As one steps foot on the island, one can catch familiar sights and sounds, the guava trees, the cluster of coconut trees, a grove of pomegranate trees, rich green paddy fields, the primary school, and the thatched roofed home. And of course, once one sees all these, one is bound to look at the water, yet again. The island is reminiscent of Na Dsouza’s famed short story, ‘Dweepa’. How did Karge Jooga turn into an island?
The Kali which flows through Karge Jooga village originates in Dandeli’s Anshi forest and flows through Dandeli, touching Supa and Joida villages along the way.
Hydroelectric power is generated at Kadra and Supa reservoirs thanks to the Kali. Also, lakhs of cusecs of water is used to cool the boilers in the Kaiga power plant. By the time the river crosses Mallapura, it becomes Kali. It is this river that splits and forms an island.
The region experiences constant rain and the plight of the islanders is difficult to explain.
Karge Jooga covers 75 hectares. While 22 hectares cover the village and its homes, about 10 to 15 hectares are covered by coconut and other fruit-bearing trees. All the remaining area is agricultural land. Paddy, maize, sugarcane and groundnut are all grown in this area. Paddy is the principal crop and over 1,000 quintals of paddy are grown here.
Demographics
The population of the village is not much; about 2,300. The number of families is 120. The government higher primary school has 68 students. Later, most of these students take the boat to reach other towns and cities to go to high schools and colleges.
Most of them have gone on to earn a good education and degrees. The village has no problems when it comes to electricity. A power line has been drawn from Kadra to this village. The lift irrigation project here is a failure, but local farmers are experts at raising two crops a year with the help of a motor.
Because water from Kadra and Kodasalli dam is released into the region when it rains, the island experiences many problems every year. When the island is marooned, villagers take shelter in Ulaga and Halaga villages. This happened in 2006 as well.
A bridge to reach the island across the river will certainly come in more than handy for people here. The fact that youth here find it hard to get marriage proposals is a reflection of the state of affairs in the village, which is often cut off from the rest of the world.