Belgaum: With the onset of summer, residents in drought-prone areas in the district are facing a drinking water shortage, forcing the local administration to supply water through tankers.

At present, drinking water is being supplied by tankers to seven villages, four in Athani and three in Ramdurg taluks.

The villages where water is being supplied by tankers are: Khilegaon, Aralikatti, Pandegaon and Ajur in Athani taluk and Venkatapur, Ramapur and Ramapur L.T. in Ramdurg taluk.

There is a possibility of more villages facing a water shortage in the next few weeks if they do not receive rain. The district administration fears that 81 villages could face a drinking water problem this year.

Last year, between April and October, there was severe drinking water shortage in 51 villages and they had to depend on water supply through tankers from the administration.

According to official sources, the State Government has declared six taluks as "drought affected" this year, Hukkeri, Bailhongal, Saundatti, Ramdurg, Raibag and Athani. The Government has also released Rs. 12 crore to take up relief projects, wherein Rs. 2 crore would be distributed to each of the six affected taluks.

Deputy Commissioner Shalini Rajneesh claimed that 257 of the 503 projects sanctioned by the Government had been completed. The other relief projects were in various stages of progress.

The Government had released 3,500 tonnes of foodgrain under the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana. The Deputy Commissioner said of the 5,355 relief projects sanctioned in villages affected by rainfall and floods in 2005-06, 5,291 projects had been completed. This year the Government has distributed Rs. 4,850.65 lakh as relief compensation.

Of the 789 relief projects taken up in the areas affected by heavy rainfall and floods in the district, only 287 had been completed.

The Government had distributed Rs. 2,406.23 lakh as compensation for loss owing to natural calamity, including Rs. 12.39 lakh towards damages to residential buildings and Rs. 1,749 lakh towards crop compensation.

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