Water crisis in Karnataka : Commoners lose out while politicians fight

 ​BENGALURU: While the politicians of JD(S) , Congress and the opposition BJP are leaving no stone unturned to criticize one another ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the prolonged dry spell has affected the livelihoods of thousands of people across Karnataka's rural area. The state is already facing a severe water shortage. 

Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) said the rain received between September 1 and February 20 was less than 40-60 per cent in 2017-18. This is a warning sign for the summer. GS Srinivasa Reddy, director of KSNMDC, said “Since the rainfall was less between September and February, several tanks across the state which provide drinking water to villages have already dried up and hundreds of borewells, including many in Bengaluru, may go dry in the next two months,’’ he added.

North Karnataka is the worst affected and the situation is the same in other districts. Currently, more than 500 villages are dependent on water tankers for drinking water. Even Kodagu, the district that faced dire floods is facing a water scarcity problem because of long dry spells. 

The farmers who are the worst affected, aren't impressed with the antics of the politicians. “All parties are fooling the people by blaming each other since they think when elections are held, this issue will be the hot topic of discussion,” said Mallesh, a farmer leader.