GADAG : A few years ago, two major lakes in the villages of Belahoda and Madaganur in Gadag district dried up, leaving residents thirsting for water, which pushed them to crack their brains to somehow revive their historic lakes. However, when they approached the local administration and other representatives to restore the water bodies, their efforts were dismissed. Officials claimed that the lakes’ vast expanse made revival impossible. What were once large bodies of water, were now barren stretches of land, overgrown with bushes and thorns, and often used for defecation.
As time passed, the villagers struggled through the water crisis. On some days, they had no water for their cattle, while on others, they barely had enough for themselves, forcing them to gather together to arrive at a solution.
Determined to restore their water sources, they decided to seek help from a team that had revived many lakes in Mundargi taluk, the previous year. The villagers approached the Sankalpa Rural Development Society, expressing their willingness to join hands in cleaning and rejuvenating the four-acre lake in Belahoda.
Moved by their determination, the Sankalpa RDS team agreed to support their efforts. “We wanted to desilt and clean the lake, but it required lakhs of rupees. That’s when we decided to approach Sankalpa RDS, which had previously cleaned up lakes in Mundargi taluk. If our lake fills with water, it will help the people and hundreds of animals,” says the Belahoda Gram Panchayat president.
Hand-in-hand in revival
Swinging into action in the first week of February, villagers along with Sankalpa RDS began the restoration work. They began with pooling in funds to desilt the accumulated mud. Large groups of residents came together to clean the lake, fostering hope for abundant water in the upcoming rainy season.
While the villagers contributed by bringing their tractors to transport the removed silt, the society provided an earthmover and a crane to speed up the process. Now, the restoration of Belahoda village lake is nearly completed. Next, the team will move to Madaganur village to undertake a similar desilting and cleaning exercise.
Having endured an acute water shortage before the lake’s revival, the villagers are now relieved to see their vital source of water bounce back to life. “In times of scarcity, we were supplied water from the local administration. Cattle owners and shepherds had to walk miles to search for water for their animals, a struggle that became even more challenging during the summer months,” a villager mentions.
However, with the lake’s, residents of Belahoda and Madaganur are relieved, knowing that the upcoming summer wouldn’t be so harsh. Speaking about the plight of the Belahoda lake, residents say, “The lake was clogged with weeds and silt, and some areas had begun to stink. If not for the earthmovers and cranes, it would have been impossible to clean.
Many villagers set aside their daily work to join hands in the restoration efforts. We are especially grateful to Sikandar Meeranayak, who helped arrange cranes to remove the silt and clean the lake. Our Gram Panchayat president also supported the initiative, and the staff actively participated in this work. If the lake fills with water, we can hope to avoid water scarcity at least for the next summer”.
Sikandar Meeranayak, founder of Sankalpa RDS says, “When the villagers told us about the lake, we visited it and saw that a big water body had turned into barren land. We decided to help them and are now cleaning lakes in both Belahoda and Madaganur. While revival work at Belahoda is in its final phase, we have also started cleaning the Madaganur Lake.”