Tumkur sinks deeper into a water crisis

Development

Rampant exploitation of ground water, digging of bore wells and  drying up of traditional water sources have led to a water crisis in Tumkur district. Many organisations, government agencies and enthusiastic individuals are actively campaigning to promote water conservation practices, observes M N Kulkarni .

Come summer, the problem of dipping water table raises its head again. Ground water exploitation is rampant in our villages and cities. Take Tumkur district, for instance. Here, the water table is dipping a meter deeper with each passing year. On an average, there are as many as 90 to 100 bore wells per village. Bore wells are drilled day in and day out. The situation is more or less the same in other parts of the State.  

Take the case of Mallikarjunaiah of Belagerahalli in Tiptur taluk. This farmer who has a coconut plantation depended largely on the monsoon for water. Open wells and tanks were also used. The situation has changed today. Ground water has gradually depleted and open wells have gone dry. Mallikarjunaiah had no other option but to dig a bore well. Bore-well irrigation requires an initial investment of Rs 2 lakh, he points out.

In Karnataka, 95 per cent of the rural population is dependent on ground water to meet the needs of the household. According to statistics provided by the Mines and Geology Department, ground water usage has increased from 35.6 per cent to 82.33 per cent between 1991 and 2001.

Seventy-one taluks in the State have been identified as ground water scarce regions. Tumkur district is categorised as a ‘dark zone’ when it comes to ground water status. In most of the taluks, groundwater level has dropped to 700-800 feet. Coconut is the major commercial crop of Tumkur district.

Tiptur, Gubbi, Chikkanayakanahalli, Turuvekere, Kunigal and Koratagere are popular coconut growing taluks. Before the introduction of bore wells, open wells were a major source of water for crops.

Though open wells still exist near coconut plots, these water sources remain dry even during the monsoon. Coconut plantations, which were earlier rainfed or limited to lowlands, have now started to dot the upper catchments also. Bore wells have increased proportionately. 

“Water exploitation has reached its peak as there is a sharp increase in the number of bore wells. In Halkurike village, there are over 200 bore wells. Rich people dig more bore wells and convert bare land into coconut plantations. This will pose problems in the future,” says Naganna of Halkurike. Because coconut was affected by a couple of diseases in the recent past, people are shifting to areca cultivation. However, areca cultivation needs more water than coconut cultivation.

Why ‘kalyanis’ matter

It is in this context that the importance of kalyanis comes into play. In Karnataka’s villages, particularly in parts of South Karnataka, life revolves around the kalyani, a traditional water source. Such traditional water sources at Hampi, Badami and a series of them at Melkote are well known. Most of the kalyanis have gone dry because of groundwater shortage.

With the depletion of ground water level comes the problem of drinking water. Fluoride contamination is a major issue in the Tumkur region.

The maximum permissible limit of fluoride in drinking water in India is 0.5 to 1.5 mg/litre and the government has had to install fluoride removal plants to reduce fluoride levels from industrial waste and mineral deposits.

Over 14,000 bore wells in the district have high levels of fluoride. Having no other option, villagers drink this water and suffer from severe health problems. As the water level drops, fluoride contamination becomes greater.

Rainwater harvesting

Rooftop rainwater harvesting is another activity which should be given more importance because it can solve the drinking water problem. Also, farmers need to employ advanced irrigation methods. Drip and sprinkler irrigation reduce the quantity of water used.

System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method of paddy cultivation will reduce the use water by 50 per cent. Use of organic manure, green manure, construction of water percolating structures help in reducing water requirement.

Many organisations, government agencies and enthusiastic individuals are actively campaigning for water conservation practices.

The State government has repaired and de-silted many tanks under its Community Based Tank Management Project. Check dams, trenches, farm ponds, sunken ponds have been constructed under integrated watershed management projects. However, maintenance and desilting of water harvesting units at regular intervals is the need of the hour. Communities need to be trained and motivated in this direction.  
Some NGOs in Tumkur are encouraging water harvesting activities like rooftop rain water harvesting, excavation of farm ponds, bore well recharging, open well recharging etc.

The Department of RDPR-sponsored ‘Sachetana’ project for rainwater harvesting for drinking purpose has become a model in the State. Over 5,700 RWH units have been constructed in 115 villages in the districts of Tumkur, Gadag and Chikballapur under this project.

The second phase of this project to construct RWH units for 4,000 households is under progress in 26 villages around YN Hosakote hobli and Pavagada taluk.
‘Dhanya’, an NGO based in Tumkur, has organised awareness programmes about the need to conserve traditional water resources called talaparige.

Arghyam Trust in Bangalore has been involved in different water conservation activities apart from supporting efforts in this direction.

Shivakumara Swamiji of Nandiveri Matha in Gadag district is successful in constructing water-harvesting structures across thousands of acres in Kappatha Gudda hill ranges.