Buildings on tanks prove fearsome sights

Village residents in CB Pur taluk express worries about saving their water bodies

Most tanks in the Kuppahalli Gram Panchayat administration area are being hunted down by realtors and constructions are being carried out on the beds of already dried up tanks.

“None of the tanks in our villages have been provided protection of any sort, including trenches to mark the boundaries of the tanks, which would prevent such activities,” complained the residents in the villages under the Gram Panchayat.

The tank beds at Angatta and Arasanahalli villages already hold buildings, while there are more buildings under construction in the areas surrounding Kottanur and Kuppahalli villages, giving rise to fear among the residents.

“The tall buildings on the tank area at Angatta, which is in the valleys of the Gopinath Hills, and the surrounding area too, have been supported by encroachment of the stormwater drains. This, in turn, has been preventing the easy flow of water down the hill. The unused agriculture land have already made way for such constructions, and now it seems the turn of the tank beds,” resident Muninarayanappa told Deccan Herald.

“Former Deputy Commissioner Dr N Manjula had ordered a survey of the tank two years ago and had even assured that the tank would be provided wiring and trenches to keep away such sharks. But, her words have been thrown to the winds. The deputy commissioners after her too have only cleared encroachments, but not provided real security to the water body in the village,” he complained.

“The tank area comes well under the purview of a government body like the district administration, which has the responsibility of ensuring there is no encroachment of the body. But, if we find such buildings being constructed on all dried up water tanks, how will we have anything left to hold water? How can we have any support system to demand the implementation of an irrigation project?” ask the residents of the villages.
DH News Service