The make-shift check dam that was built across the river Payaswini at Bavikara locality to check intrusion of saline water during tidal waves caved in, denting the hopes of over lakh of residents to have saline-free water.
Around 25-metre stretch middle portion of the check-dam, raised by using sand-filled plastic bags on either side, caved in on Saturday under the impact of unseasonal rain that lashed the upper parts of the river along the Karnataka-Kerala border areas.
This, in all probability, will lead to an acute drinking water shortage during the rest of May, as intrusion of saline waters due to tidal waves could affect hundreds of families in the Muliyar and Bavikkare localities.
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The work on the check dam was completed only in February last.
Since the work on a permanent check dam remained incomplete owing to host of reasons, residents in the thickly populated belt are not sure of when the authorities will find a lasting solution to their over three-decades long ordeal to have saline-free water.