Drought in Athni triggers exodus

It's exodus time in Athni taluk of Belgaum district. Truckloads of people, who can neither afford to pay the going rate of Rs 5 for a pot of...

It’s exodus time in Athni taluk of Belgaum district. Truckloads of people, who can neither afford to pay the going rate of Rs 5 for a pot of water nor bear the searing heat of this brutal summer, are hightailing across the border to Maharashtra.

But for those in the taluk’s 50 villages who cannot take that trip down Jatt Road it’s survival of the fittest. They have few choices: To stand in the queue for six hours from 3 am to 10 am for one pot of water. Or to go through the torture of trudging 4-5 km to meet the barest household water needs.

While groundwater has plunged below 500 ft, wells and borewells are drying up.

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In Athni town, the choice is slightly better: Shell out Rs 5 and get your pot filled without any fuss or delay. For many, that’s still a steal.

Sources said efforts are being made to supply water once in five days. Three borewells dug on the banks of the Krishna river have, they claimed, slightly eased the scarcity.

The Athni Municipal Corporation has been sending water tankers to 30 villages and is also digging borewells to tide over the crisis. Government sources said attempts are also being made to dig dry open wells to tap groundwater.

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