JOIN USWater crisis in Chikkaballapur district has acquired grave proportion with the rapid decline in groundwater. Rampant exploitation of ground aquifer over the past three decades is casting its effects now.
In the district one cannot strike water even after digging to a depth of 2,000 feet. Dried up water bodies and consequent drought have only worsened the plight. The decades long permanent irrigation struggle is yet to yield result.
There are a total of 1,603 tanks in the district out of which 1,402 are under zilla panchayat and 201 are maintained by the Minor Irrigation department. According to the information available, so far only 21 tanks under the zilla panchayat have been desilted till now. The exact number of borewells sunk in the past three decades is not available. However, according to the information furnished by various departments, Chikkaballapur district has 28,985 borewells for agricultural purposes, 2,324 for rural water supply and 355 borewells for urban water supply. Thus, in total there are 31,664 borewells in Chikkaballapur district.
Unbridled exploitation of groundwater has led to depletion of ground water to a dangerous low level. Groundwater has gone down by 114 feet over the course of years. R Anjaneya Reddy, the president of Action Committee for Permanent Irrigation says neither the elected representatives nor the administration took any steps for recharge of groundwater. “The officials, who were expected to create awareness about conservation of groundwater, were lost amid files. Hence, we are facing this pathetic situation today,” Reddy said.
He said officials were more interested in supplying water through tankers than conservation of sources. The state in this year’s budget has declared a project to supply treated sewage water from Bengaluru to the tanks in Chikkaballapur. But, this project alone wouldn’t quench the thirst. Moreover, the water has to be treated in three stages before using it to fill the tanks. Any failure in doing so, would further aggravate the situation, it is felt.
DH News Service