Athani villagers stage protest demanding release of water from Maha

Belagavi: The villagers of Athani taluk staged a protest on Monday demanding the release of water from dams in Maharashtra into river Krishna for meeting the drinking water requirements of parched villages in the taluk.’

This protest comes after the state minister for Water Resource, DK Shivakumar informed that the Maharashtra government was not releasing water to Krishna river despite an agreement reached between the two states.

Drinking water problems in the taluk were compounding in Athani taluk by the passing of each day with driver Krishna drying up more than a month ago. In earlier years, water was released by Maharashtra during summer which used to ease the situation to some extent. This year water not being released has led in people being forced to wander to fetch a pot of potable water.

The office bearers of various organisations and political parties had held a meeting and given ultimatum up to May 20, for the state government to get water released from Maharashtra. ut as the demand was not met, bandh was observed in the town, informed sources.

During the protest, the activists set tyres on fire at prominent circles and expressed their ire. Buses did not move out of the bus-stand, while markets remained closed with traders expressing support for the bandh. Section of activists also blocked roads in the town by staging sit-in in semi-nude condition. Meanwhile, MLA Mahesh Kumathalli too joined the sit-in protest being staged.

The state government has, so far, declared more than 3,000 regions to be highly affected by drinking water scarcity. According to the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, 138 out of a total of 176 talukas in Karnataka have a low groundwater level. Bagepalli, Chikkaballapura, Sidlaghatta, Bangarpet and Kolar are among the worst affected talukas.

The state government, in December last year, declared 156 out of the 176 talukas as drought-hit due to failed Monsoon.