Karnataka - Madikeri   

Water shortage in Madikeri as sources dry up in summer

Jeevan Chinnappa

Silt piles up in Kootuhole; councillors helpless as their term has ended

THIS ONE TOO: Roshanara, a water source in Madikeri, is also fast drying up.

MADIKERI: Kodagu ranks among the areas that receive the highest rainfall in the State. Madikeri, in particular, receives over 3,000 mm of rainfall annually. Surprisingly, there is shortage of water in the city even before the onset of summer every year. This summer too has been no exception. Water sources are fast drying up in the city. Water level in the Kootuhole Reservoir has receded. For the last 35 years, Kootuhole has been fulfilling over 65 per cent of the drinking water needs of the city. Substantial amount of money was spent to remove silt from the reservoir last year. Sadly, the work has not been completed. Silt has piled up again, resulting in poor storage during the monsoon.

Leak

Makeshift arrangements to plug the leak at Kootuhole have not yielded any result. The City Municipal Council is a rudderless boat. The elected body completed its term in June last. In the absence of an elected council, councillors express helplessness while officials continue to remain impervious with least regard for the misery of the citizens.

Roshanara is another important water source which is almost dry now. Muddy water is collected in a huge tank that has not been cleaned for years. Algae growing on the inside of the walls of the tank are coming off in flakes. They float on the meagre water collected in the tank. Cattle wading freely through the trickle make the water muddy. A huge flake of alum is kept in open at the point where water runs into the tank "to purify water''. The quantity of alum just depends on the whims of the waterman who loiters around the tank.

He says that water is supplied to two major areas — District Hospital and Mangaladevinagar — once in two days. Water is pumped from there to a water tank located near the Housing Board Colony. The same water runs through pipes to households. Thankfully, no major health problem has surfaced in the city.

There is a buffer tank dug by the Karnataka Land Army Corporation next to the main water source. Water storage is certainly better than in the main source. But sadly even after work was taken up on the tank, the project is yet to get electricity. Wiring has been completed. The issue had come up at the municipal council meeting some time ago. But how and why the councillors have remained silent over the issue after the meeting are questions that remain to be answered.

The situation in other sources such as Pumpinakere and Kannandabane is similar. No one has the answer.

A visit to Ganapathi Street in the morning on alternate days would reveal the severity of the problem there. Empty pots lined up on either side of the road greet passers-by.

They convey the magnitude of the situation. Borewells in the cities have, however, come to the rescue of the citizens. Many collect occasional rainwater and store them.

Schemes

The officials have promised a number of schemes to improve water supply, sanitation and the like in the municipal limits. The water crisis has been serious in the three taluks of the district. The Zilla Panchayat boasts of enough funds to tackle the crisis. But there is lack of honesty and sincerity in implementing the programmes.

Why do we have to think of the Rs. 15-crore Betri water supply scheme for Madikeri from the Cauvery, 22 km away from here? Small sums would suffice to do up the existing water sources in the city.

It would be wise not to speak of the poor sanitation system. Garbage piling up in the city and clogged drains are a common sight. Respite to citizens will come only from monsoon as they look forward to it eagerly.

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Water shortage in Madikeri as sources dry up in summer

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