Bengaluru: The harsh summer is leaving Karnataka thirsty and parched, with a drinking water crisis in over 650 villages across the state. A CNN-IBN team travelled to Chikkaballapur to find out how bad the situation is.
In Chikkaballapur, some 100 Kms from Bengaluru, borewells are dug over 1000 feet deep, and the only water villagers get at that depth is contaminated with flouride and leads to calcium deficiency.
Narayana Swamy, a resident of Chikkaballapur said his teeth are discolored and he walks with pain, as his bone are brittle. Many in the village suffer from similar ailments.
Karnataka was the first state to declare a drought during the rabi season early in 2016.. And as villagers travel long distances in search of drinking water, the helplessness and anger is writ large on their faces. The anger had in fact spilled over to Bengaluru's streets when farmers from six districts held protests in the state capital in February demanding long-term solutions for the water crisis that recurs every year.
"We have held many protests to draw the attention of the government, but they just don't seem to care for the needs of all of us who live in the border districts," Ravi prakash, farmers' union president of Shidlaghatta said.
Karnataka Rural Development Minister H K Patil has termed this as a war-like situation saying, "We are arranging for tankers for these villages, the very point of concern is that water in borewells are depleting. We are taking all measures possible, the Karnataka government is in touch with Isro to find places where underground water is available."
The unseasonal rainfall in December had brought hope to some districts as it filled up a few lakes and tanks but this harsh summer has left farmers worried and angry.
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