ATHANI: People from the border villages of Athani taluk have begun migrating to neighbouring states due to the acute drought conditions.
Fifty villages in Athani, Chikkodi and Raibag taluks of Belgaum district were declared drought-hit five years ago and there will be no change in the status quo this year.
More than 500 poor farmer families of Pandegoan, Aralihatti, Shambaragi, Aaju, Kotachwadi, Kelegoan and Hanumapur villages in Athani taluk have already migrated to Kolhapur and Pune in Maharashtra and Goa.
The drought-hit villages in Athani, Chikkodi and Raibag taluks are deserted for four to five months in summer as there is no agricultural work.
The Rural Employment Scheme and drought relief works, which were introduced to prevent migration, were not implemented properly.
Villagers sell their cattle to slaughter houses or rich farmers before leaving. Except for domestic animals, no cattle are to be seen in these areas. Half the people of Anantpur have already migrated.
The government has started supplying drinking water through tankers and opened cattle shelters.
The drought was most severe in Anantpur village where not even half an acre was cultivated for the last five years. The village was once considered prosperous as it grew betel leaves, a commercial crop with a nation-wide market. However, the severe drought in 1972 has changed all that.
B L Patil, president of Vimochana,says elected representatives are to blame for the backwardness of the border villages. “Irrigation and drinking water projects meant for these villages have been shifted to other areas.
Implementingthe Basaveshwar Lift Irrigation project will be the only solution for the drought-hit villages,” Patil said.