Even as World Water Day was observed on Thursday, there seems to be no end to the water woes of the people of Kolar district. The crisis, which is common to both urban centres and rural areas, is deepening as summer has set in.
Protests against the alleged apathy of the district administration in solving the problem have become the order of the day. It is common to see long queues in front of water tankers and public taps, both in towns and villages.
As many as 190 villages in the district have been identified as those facing severe water shortage.
The Kolar Zilla Panchayat has submitted a Rs. 6-crore action plan to the government seeking allocation of funds to mitigate the problem.
Gandhinagar, a locality mostly inhabited by Dalits, witnesses long queues to collect water even at night. “We have to wait during night facing all odds to collect a pot of water,” Bhagya V., a housewife, said.
The situation at the gram panchayat centre of Muduvatti in Kolar taluk is not different. People wait day and night to collect water. Water will be released as and when there is power supply forcing the people to waste time waiting, zilla panchayat member of the area R. Chowdeshwari rued.
According to information provided at a meeting, attended by District Nodal Secretary P.N. Srinivasachari, drinking water is being supplied in 150 villages through tankers.
Thought the district administration said that there was no paucity of funds for the supply of drinking water, owners of private water tankers staged a protest on Tuesday demanding settlement of arrears. The civic body has to pay around Rs. 1 crore to tanker owners, said Krishnappa, a contractor. It is feared that if tanker owners stop supplying water, the residents will be left in the lurch.
