Belagavi Water Crisis
CH NEWS, BELAGAVI
Barring two or three taluks, the entire district of Belagavi will be included in the state’s drought-hit list following a sustained monsoon deficit, announced District In-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi.
Presiding over the Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) quarterly review meeting at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, Jarkiholi noted that while areas previously failed to meet statutory drought thresholds, the total absence of rainfall over the past month has created acute distress. Regions including Bailhongal, Belagavi, Savadatti, and Moodalagi have registered below-normal precipitation. The Minister directed officials to submit formal drought assessment reports if rainfall deficits exceed 50% for three consecutive weeks, while ordering immediate crop compensation under NDRF norms for damaged black gram and green gram crops across Yaragatti, Savadatti, and Ramdurg.
To avert acute water shortages through next summer, Jarkiholi ordered inter-departmental teams comprising Agriculture, Revenue, Irrigation, Horticulture, and HESCOM officers to evaluate groundwater reserves and regulate releases from reservoirs. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan confirmed that Hidkal reservoir storage remains stable, though water allocation from Malaprabha to areas like Gadag, Navalgunda, and Savadatti will be finalized via an advisory committee. Zilla Panchayat CEO Rahul Shinde reported that tanker supplies stand prepared for emergency water distribution in Nippani and Athani.
The session witnessed heated discussions regarding civic spending. In response to MLA Asif Sait’s objections regarding arbitrary municipal fund allocations, Jarkiholi strictly warned officials against undertaking city works without consulting legislators, emphasizing urgent pothole filling over indiscriminate ward grants. Among legislators, MLA Mahantesh Koujalagi called for an immediate survey of maturing soybean crops in Bailhongal to facilitate insurance claims, while MLA Vishwas Vaidya demanded reservoir water to refill parched lakes in Saundatti. MLC Nagaraj Yadav urged L&T contractors to accelerate sluggish urban drinking water pipe-laying.
The meeting was marked by noticeable political absenteeism: 13 of 18 district MLAs including Laxman Savadi, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, and Ramesh Jarkiholi along with MPs Jagadish Shettar and Priyanka Jarkiholi, failed to attend the quarterly review.
