Minister for Water Resources M.B. Patil performed ‘bhoomi puja’ for a project aimed at filling 22 water tanks in Chikkodi and Hukkeri taluks in the district in Sankeshwar on Saturday.
Addressing a gathering, he said the government had taken measures to fill up nearly 1,300 water tanks to mitigate drinking water needs, and to recharge the groundwater.
The project aims at drawing water from the Hiranyakeshi through a jack well near Shankarling Mutt in Sankeshwar town and pumping it to a distance of 11 km to the delivery chamber at Hattarwat village.
This would then be transferred to 22 villages in the two taluks. Around 0.143 tmcft of water would be pumped from the river to fill these tanks.
Official sources said the cost of the project was estimated at Rs. 49.5 crore when the government accorded administrative approval in March 2013. However, with a re-estimate, it has gone up to Rs. 77 crore now.
The villages to benefit from the project are Hargapur, Karajga, Kanagala, Hitni, Mattiwade, Naganur, Rasing, Bairapur, Ankli, Kesti, Borgal, Ammanagi, Yelimunnoli (Basava kere), Hajanatti, Belavi, Sarapur, Bellad Bagewadi and Kamatnur in Hukkeri taluk; and VAdral, Majalatti, Jainapur, and Mugali in Chikkodi taluk.
