BELLARY: The district administration has prepared a plan to ensure water supply to the 273 villages that have been identified as most likely to face a severe drinking water shortage during summer, and Rs. 5.87 crore has been set aside for this purpose, according to Chief Executive Officer of the Bellary Zilla Panchayat C.M. Shirol.

Mr. Shirol told The Hindu here on Saturday that at present the problem of water shortage was not severe in the district as drinking water was being supplied through piped-water supply schemes, mini-drinking water supply schemes and borewells.

Villages in the western taluks, which were situated at some distance from the Tungabhadra river and were depending mainly on borewells and mini-drinking water supply schemes for their supply, were likely to face a severe water shortage during the summer months as there had been a fall in groundwater levels owing to the failure of rains, he said.

Mr. Shirol said there were 570 piped-water supply schemes, 954 mini-drinking water supply schemes and 5,357 borewells in the district.

He said that the water in 489 villages had been identified as fluoride-affected, and efforts were on to supply them potable water from the Tungabhadra. At present, 45 of these villages were being supplied water from the river. The administration had proposed 40 projects under the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Supply Scheme Sub-mission, for which it was awaiting the Government's approval, he said.

He said that last year the Union Government had provided Rs. 23.62 crore and the State Government Rs. 5.07 crore for drinking water supply schemes.

Mr. Shirol said that a proposal to supply potable water from the Tungabhadra to 16 villages, through the mega-drinking water supply project for Kudligi, Kottur and Hagari Bommanahalli towns, had been forwarded to the Government and was awaiting its approval.

"We have received approval in principle to cover these villages under the mega project. However, we require an additional Rs. 9.80 crore for this, and the zilla panchayat has, therefore, urged the Government to release the amount so that the work can commence immediately," he said.

Delay

With regard to the delay in the completion of drinking water supply schemes for Kuditini and Kurgodu in Bellary taluk and Mariyammanahalli in Hospet taluk, Mr. Shirol said that this was owing to the decision to withdraw responsibility for the projects from the Karnataka Land Army Corporation owing to the slow progress of work.

"We have called for tenders for the schemes, and will soon select the agencies to execute them. We hope these three drinking water supply projects will be completed by the end of December," Mr. Shirol said.

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