It is a picture of contrasts when one stands on the bridge across Hirehalla rivulet on NH 63, a few kilometres from Koppal town. While one side is overrun with thorny bushes, the other is clean. Though the riverbed is largely dry at the moment, there are pools of water on the clear side.
The cleaning of the Hirehalla riverbed was taken up under the initiative of Abhinava Gavisiddeshwar Swami of Gavi Mutt in Koppal from March 1. Now, the clearing of the vegetation is complete in 21 km of the total 30-km stretch.
“This initiative, which has been entirely funded through donations from devotees and followers of the mutt, will help in the proper flow of water and recharge of underground water table in this dry region that is facing severe drought,” the seer said.
Hirehalla rivulet joins the Tungabhadra river. A dam has also been built upstream of Hirehalla to arrest silt entering the Tungabhadra dam on the downstream. The halla was once a major source of drinking water and used for cultivating crops in the drylands. But over the years, owing to lack of any initiative, it had run dry.
Koppal district — despite having a major dam across the Tungabhadra and another across Hirehalla — has been facing severe drought. The dams have been able to irrigate parts of Koppal and Gangavati taluks, but the other parts of the district are fully dependent on rain.
“After consultations with irrigation experts, we chose to rejuvenate the halla to help conserve water. It would help farmers of the drought-prone 22 to 25 villages on either side of the halla,” the seer said. The work has been taken up through a trust.
The trust has also planned planting of trees on the bunds to improve the green cover in this very hot and arid area.
Even as the news of the rejuvenation spread, and after seeing the seer himself being on the spot, people began donating funds voluntarily.
A special contribution was made by Noor Jahan from Bagalkot, who was awarded the Krishi Mahile award by the University of Horticulture at Bagalkot. She was given a purse of ₹5,000 along with a citation, which she donated to Gavi Mutt for the Hirehalla project.
Many women’s groups too contributed in their own way by bringing cooked food daily for people engaged in the task. Youths are also volunteering to clean the vegetation.
“We plan to construct check dams at a distance of about 1 to 2 km in between, in consultation with the authorities and experts concerned, so that water can be impounded not only for recharging the underground water table and rejuvenating the borewells, but also enabling people to use it to raise crops,” the seer said.
Veeresh, an engineer, who was among the many volunteers overseeing the work when The Hindu visited the site, said: “If things go according to plan and check dams are constructed, irrigation cover could be extended to about 5,000 to 8,000 acres from the nearly 500 acres at present.” He said this initiative could set a model that can be replicated elsewhere.
