Scarcity of water has prompted people to change their routine in rural areas, besides their daily practices. As it has been difficult to procure two-three pots of water each day, people are forced to be cautious in handling water.
Water bodies have also gone dry, leaving the public with no place to take their cattle for a bath. “Earlier there was sufficient water in the tank near the village. We used to carry utensils and clothes there to wash them. Now, we have to make use of the tap water, which we hardly get, for all these purposes,” Usha, an agriculture worker at Arakere in Arsikere taluk, told The Hindu.
Even taking a bath has become a luxury for a few due to the shortage of water. A few take a bath once in three days and don’t wash their clothes for days owing to water shortage.
“To be frank, I have not taken a bath for the last three days”, said Paramesh in Mastihalli. Like him, many have gradually changed their routine in tune with the availability of water. Usha, a home-maker at Suladimmanahalli, said her routine had been disturbed as water is not released at the regular time. Siddappa in Arakere said, “We have stopped giving a bath to our cattle. When we don’t have enough water to drink … how can we get water for cattle?”
Many women spend most of their time in a day fetching water. Water supply in rural areas is badly affected by the disruption in power supply, besides depletion in groundwater table and a decrease in yield in borewells. “We don’t know at what time we will get water … we keep waiting throughout the day. Much of the time in a day is wasted in waiting for water,” said Deepa, a resident of Suladimmanahalli.
Lokesh, a waterman in Arakere, told The Hindu, “We release water only when sufficient water is available in the storage tanks. Borewells have gone dry yielding less quantity of water.” When a tanker reaches the village or water supply system is started, the entire village gets into an active mode. Women and children run to the tankers with pots and stand in a queue. The Hassan Zilla Panchayat has been providing water for residents of 36 villages by tankers.
