Karnataka   

Water more precious in the land of gold

KOLAR GOLD FIELDS: Water woes of Kolar Gold Fields seems to be perennial.

The town with a population of 1.5 lakh has not been getting potable water supply for several years now.

The residents buy water from private suppliers for Rs. 1.50 a pot.

“At times, it is very difficult to get water even if we are ready to pay for it. We have to wait for a long time in anticipation of tankers,” said Ranjini, a housemaker at Urigaum area, reflecting on the gravity of situation. The poor and those depending on daily wages cannot afford to buy water. “It is really a paradox that water has become dearer than gold in KGF,” Ms. Ranjini regretted.

Bethamangala tank, a major source of water for the area, has not been getting sufficient inflow in the last couple of years. Huge machinery meant for purification and supply of water at the KGF pump house are lying idle.

Improper maintenance of some other sources such as Swarnakuppam lake was another reason, it is said. Besides drying up of tube wells dug for supplying drinking water, the failure to take up construction of a check dam at Nagavara in Palar basin, left the KGF people in the lurch, alleges Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) leader A.R. Babu. “The district administration and the City Municipal Council have failed in addressing basic problem affecting the residents,” Mr. Babu said. The failure of authorities and the people’s representatives, including the MLA, has left the citizens at the mercy of private water suppliers. And the latter are exploiting the helplessness of the people.

Even as the resentment among people vis-a-vis drinking water woe is growing, the local MLA Y. Sampangi has claimed that a proposal to clean the Bethamangala tank at a cost of Rs. 24 crore had been sent to the Government.

In his Independence Day speech at Kolar, district in-charge Minister S.N. Krihanaiah Shetty has announced that the Government had earmarked Rs. 24 crore in the budget for reviving the Bethamangala tank.

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