We get subsidised rice, but not water, says Belvadi villager

Chikkamagaluru: “We  get rice at  subsidised rates , but have to pay for drinking water,” laments a villager of Belvadi,  which has been facing a severe water shortage for about four months now.

Private tankers, which draw water from Javagal village, about 8 kms from Belvadi charged Rs 40 a drum to begin with , but now with the demand rising,  are charging  Rs 50 for it. “If people want filtered water then it costs another Rs 25 for a 20 litre can,” said a villager, Natraj, who buys  filtered water from the nearby village of Kalasapura every two days. So bad is the situation that during the recent Kariyamma Devi fair  every  family was forced to shell out Rs 1,500 only for water. While some rely on a borewell in the Mailaralingeshwara Temple, it supplies water for only a limited period during the day, according to  women grouped around it hopefully.

A water filter installed by the Art of Living Foundation is proving of  some help, but can cater to the needs of only 20 people at a time, say the villagers.  

Venting their anger against local MLA, C T Ravi for  failing to come to their rescue,  they point out that Belvadi with a population of 5,500 has a  bigger drinking water problem  than the neighbouring villages of Vaddarahalli and Narsipura, which have a smaller population.

A member of the Art of Living Foundation , however , notes that  defunct borewells  in the region have been recharged and believes the results will be  visible once it rains.