Southern States - Karnataka

Pilgrimage centre faces water crisis

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHINCHANSUR (Gulbarga Dt.) MARCH. 2. There is an acute shortage of drinking water in the famous pilgrimage centre of Goddess Mahapur Thayi here, thanks to the callous attitude of the taluk panchayat and the zilla panchayat.

The principal drinking water supply scheme under World Bank-assistance in Chinchansur is on the verge of collapse. The old drinking water supply scheme is now defunct.

Two borewells meet the demands of more than 7,000 people in the village.

Chinchansur is one of the two gram panchayats controlled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the district.

The Chairman of the Chinchansur Gram Panchayat, Mallinath Mallappa, and the Gulbarga District convenor of the Karnataka Pranta Krishi Coolikarara Sangha (KPKCS), Sudama Danni, told The Hindu Correspondent that two of the three borewells near the temple, had gone dry and only one was working.

He said the water was being pumped from this borewell to the ground level reservoir (GLR). Water was being pumped to the GLR from another borewell dug up for use in mini water supply scheme. But this was not enough to meet the demand. The GLR, constructed on top of a hillock near the darga of Bargala Sidda, had developed cracks on all sides and was leaking. Mr. Mallappa and Mr. Danni feared that it would collapse at any time.

The ZP and TP officials said they could not repair the GLR or revive the defunct borewells as the project was handed over to the gram panchayat a year ago for maintenance. According to Mr. Mallappa, the gram panchayat was strapped for funds.

Mr. Mallappa and Mr. Danni stressed that the zilla panchayat and the taluk panchayat should take up the repair of the GLR and revive the defunct borewells.

They should sanction five borewells to meet the emergency. At present, the residents of Hirijanwada, Woddaragalli, Danagargalli, and the Bus Stand area did not have drinking water supply and they were forced to get water from private wells in agriculture farms three km away.

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