<p>Mangaluru: 71-year-old John Monteiro, a farmer from Muruva in Manila village of Bantwal taluk, has turned a once-barren hilltop into a lush and thriving land through his perseverance and hard work. Over 30 years ago, faced with an acute water crisis, Monteiro took matters into his own hands and dug seven 'surangas' (traditional water tunnels), including three within a well, to bring life to his dry land.</p><p>Monteiro recalls that his family’s struggle for water was constant and exhausting. “We lived in a dry area where there was hardly any source of water. We had to depend on a small pit for our daily needs, but it used to dry up completely during the summer,” he said. The situation forced him to look for a permanent solution.</p><p>Having acquired expertise in digging 'surangas'—a traditional method of tapping water—Monteiro decided to use his skills for his own land. “I worked as a daily wage labourer during the day and began digging the suranga at night from 6 pm to midnight using a kerosene lamp,” he recalls. “After nearly a month of digging, water finally began to flow.”</p>.Waterman ends life in front of gram panchayat office in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district.<p>The well he constructed, now about 10 feet deep, contains three surangas connected to it, ensuring a steady supply of water throughout the year. Monteiro used only basic tools like a pickaxe, and his children helped him by removing the excavated soil.</p><p>Monteiro owns about one-and-a-half acres of land where he cultivates arecanut and coconut. In the earlier years, the family also grew vegetables using the water from the suranga. “The surangas vary in length—from 10 kolu to 40 kolu (one kolu equals approximately 2.5 feet). Each suranga is about two feet wide and six feet high,” he explains. “The ones inside the well measure between 10 to 15 kolu.”</p><p>Though his efforts brought significant improvement, the hilly terrain posed challenges. The water from the surangas could not adequately irrigate the entire farm, prompting Monteiro to sink a borewell recently. Yet, he believes that the natural water flow in the surangas remains stronger and more reliable than the borewell. “We continue to use suranga water for all household purposes by storing it in a tank,” he says.</p><p>Monteiro’s understanding of groundwater patterns and traditional knowledge of suranga construction have made him try on digging suranga. Before working on his own land, he had dug three surangas for others in his village. “When you dig about 10 kolu deep, you can often sense the presence of water. On still nights, with no air movement, you can actually hear the faint sound of flowing water inside the hillock,” he explains with quiet pride.</p><p>John Monteiro was conferred Raitha Kudla Gaurava Prashasthi by Raitha Kudla Prathishtana during Kadri Sasyotsava Krishi Mela, at Kadri Park.</p>
<p>Mangaluru: 71-year-old John Monteiro, a farmer from Muruva in Manila village of Bantwal taluk, has turned a once-barren hilltop into a lush and thriving land through his perseverance and hard work. Over 30 years ago, faced with an acute water crisis, Monteiro took matters into his own hands and dug seven 'surangas' (traditional water tunnels), including three within a well, to bring life to his dry land.</p><p>Monteiro recalls that his family’s struggle for water was constant and exhausting. “We lived in a dry area where there was hardly any source of water. We had to depend on a small pit for our daily needs, but it used to dry up completely during the summer,” he said. The situation forced him to look for a permanent solution.</p><p>Having acquired expertise in digging 'surangas'—a traditional method of tapping water—Monteiro decided to use his skills for his own land. “I worked as a daily wage labourer during the day and began digging the suranga at night from 6 pm to midnight using a kerosene lamp,” he recalls. “After nearly a month of digging, water finally began to flow.”</p>.Waterman ends life in front of gram panchayat office in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district.<p>The well he constructed, now about 10 feet deep, contains three surangas connected to it, ensuring a steady supply of water throughout the year. Monteiro used only basic tools like a pickaxe, and his children helped him by removing the excavated soil.</p><p>Monteiro owns about one-and-a-half acres of land where he cultivates arecanut and coconut. In the earlier years, the family also grew vegetables using the water from the suranga. “The surangas vary in length—from 10 kolu to 40 kolu (one kolu equals approximately 2.5 feet). Each suranga is about two feet wide and six feet high,” he explains. “The ones inside the well measure between 10 to 15 kolu.”</p><p>Though his efforts brought significant improvement, the hilly terrain posed challenges. The water from the surangas could not adequately irrigate the entire farm, prompting Monteiro to sink a borewell recently. Yet, he believes that the natural water flow in the surangas remains stronger and more reliable than the borewell. “We continue to use suranga water for all household purposes by storing it in a tank,” he says.</p><p>Monteiro’s understanding of groundwater patterns and traditional knowledge of suranga construction have made him try on digging suranga. Before working on his own land, he had dug three surangas for others in his village. “When you dig about 10 kolu deep, you can often sense the presence of water. On still nights, with no air movement, you can actually hear the faint sound of flowing water inside the hillock,” he explains with quiet pride.</p><p>John Monteiro was conferred Raitha Kudla Gaurava Prashasthi by Raitha Kudla Prathishtana during Kadri Sasyotsava Krishi Mela, at Kadri Park.</p>