JOIN USKarnataka may not achieve 100% tap water connections
Karnataka may not be able to provide tap water connections to all the rural households (RHH) as envisioned under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), unless it addresses the larger issue of water scarcity.
Officials in the RDPR department fear that they would hit a roadblock in at least five districts, including Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Tumakuru, Chikkaballapur and Kolar, where there are no river water sources to cater to about 20 lakh households.
Of the total 91.19 lakh rural households, the state government has been able to provide connections to 26 lakh rural households. While the Centre had given time until 2023 to achieve 100% connections, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had recently shot off a letter to Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekawat seeking time until 2024. However, even with an extension, the government may not be able to reach all the households.
“When it comes to certain drought-prone areas, we simply don’t have a solution as we don’t have rivers to bring water. Borewells have reached unsustainable levels. In rural areas, farmers also competitively drill borewells adding to the crisis,” an official in the Rural Development & Panchayat Raj department said, requesting anonymity.
The above five districts apart, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Chitradurga, Davangere and parts of Haveri will also be a challenge. “The Jal Jeevan Mission envisages provision of a minimum of 55 litres per capita per day of water. Wherever there are borewells, the maximum volume of water that can be supplied is up to 40 litres. Also, borewells aren’t a sustainable solution,” the official explained, adding that the department was right now looking at providing connections only in places where it could meet the 55 litres target.
These concerns come even as big-ticket drinking water projects such as the Yettinahole have failed to see completion.
Speaking to DH, water conservation expert S Vishwanath felt that the state should focus on groundwater recharge. “The government should realise that groundwater will be the only source of water for many habitations. Surface water will not be easy to come. They have to identify the right aquifer, recharge it and protect it from irrigation. Lake development should be taken up. This lake will be recharge zone for open well or borewell. This should be used for Jal Jeevan Mission,” he pointed out.