Reviving the tradition of 'kattas'

While some people show concern about rivers getting dry within months after the monsoon season, some just blame it on various factors. Rare are people who don't limit themselves to such blame games, but work towards improving the situation. One such effort was made in Hosangadi village in Dakshina Kannada district. A group of people comprising students, villagers and members of Rotary Club joined hands to build a mini check dam, locally known as katta, across River Phalguni. The idea of building a katta occurred to Hariprasad, a member of Hosangadi Gram Panchayat. "Earlier it was common to build kattas across streams and rivers in the coastal region. While they retained water in the river basin, they also helped enhance water level. Gradually, this practice disappeared due to the easy availability of water. As a result, our wells would also dry soon after the monsoons," he says.

Rotary Club in Moodbidri decided to collaborate when the members heard about the plan. Similarly, students of NSM Polytechnic came forward as volunteers.  The check dam was built using sandbags (gravel and sand filled in plastic bags) and soil. The team could build a 70-metre long katta in  just one day. The work has started yielding results with water getting stored at some points in the river.