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Village's answer to drought: 50 borewells in one-acre

Last Updated 18 January 2019, 17:42 IST

The farmers of the drought-hit Singapur village in the taluk have dug deep into their resources to save arecanut and other crops.

More than 50 borewells, all unauthorised, were sunk on one acre of groundwater-rich gomala, about 4 km from the village. Pipelines have been laid from the gomala to the arecanut plantations and farms in and around the village.

With more than 40 borewells yielding a good 2 to 3 inches of water, the farmers have found an answer to drought.

Each farmer is said to have spent Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh to sink borewell, to fix casing pipes, get power connection to the motor pump and to lay a pipeline from gomala to their fields.

Shivanna was tilling the gomala, located on the border of Singapur and Todaranalu, for the past 8 to 10 years. He used to cultivate maize on the said plot. In the summer of 2018, the farmer drilled a borewell. His efforts yielded a good volume of water, drawing the attention of the water-starved villagers to groundwater-rich gomala.

Wasting no time, a few farmers went ahead and sunk the borewells on gomala. Soon the rest followed suit.

“In 2018 summer, there were five borewells on gomala. The borewells yielded water even during the peak of summer. It is a miracle to see water in all borewells (close to 50) sunk on a tad over one acre of gomala,” said Ajjappa, a farmer.

B Gurushantappa, a farmer, told DH, “The farmers in the region were reeling under severe drought. The borewells sunk in the fields have dried. Arecanut grown on four acres has wilted. Most of us are knee-deep in debts. Last year, I had saved the crop spending hefty sum for tanker water. But the borewell water from gomala has come handy for many farmers this time.”

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(Published 18 January 2019, 17:18 IST)

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