Karwar, 16 May

Uttara Kannada district is grappling with a severe water crisis as more than 165 villages nestled in the coastal and mountainous regions reel under the grip of drought. The situation has escalated in 46 villages where wells and borewells have run dry, leaving residents with access to water only once a week. Adding to the distress, 224 out of the 241 clean drinking water units constructed by Zilla Panchayat shut down due to inadequate maintenance and electricity connection issues. The communities of Mundagoda, Siddapur and Kumta are particularly hit, contending with wells and borewells yielding unclean water.

More than 120 borewells and 80 public wells have gone dry in the hilly areas. Despite efforts to implement alternative water distribution systems across 11 taluks, challenges persist due to the scarcity of available water resources. While emergency borewells have been drilled in some areas, many communities continue to grapple with water scarcity owing to insufficient water availability.

The crisis extends to coastal regions, where wells in Ankola and Karwar are contaminated with saltwater. In the highlands of Sirsi, public wells have dried up entirely, leaving residents of Kasturaba layout without water for days. Jivajala Task Force, Sirsi, collaborated with the municipal council to supply drinking water to affected areas. 

With the water scarcity in Uttara Kannada district reaching critical levels, the absence of rainfall in several parts of the region worsened the crisis. Unless substantial rainfall occurs within the next two days, there looms a looming threat of river sources in the district running dry. —Salar News