A drinking water crisis has gripped urban and rural areas in the river Cauvery’s birth district of Kodagu. What’s worse, even groundwater has depleted in several regions of the district, and farmers face additional losses as they are unable to find water even after spending lakhs on borewells.
Mahesh, a farmer from Torenuru village of Kushalnagar taluk, ventured into agriculture right after his studies in 1996. Ginger, yam, maize, tobacco, paddy – he practised rotational cultivation through the years. He was awarded the ‘Yuva Raitha’ honour by the state in 2012. He shared his experience through the years and explained that this year, the district is witness to one of the worst droughts as not just rivers and lakes, but even underground water has dried up.
“We are facing the worst heat wave this year in the district. The condition below the earth is worse, as there is too much heat underground too,” analysed Mahesh. He said that water across rivers and lakes dried up in early February, forcing several farmers across Kushalnagar taluk to dig borewells to enable irrigation. “However, several borewells failed and farmers lost lakhs of rupees,” he added.
He shared that four borewells going 600ft deep, were dug by farmers in Torenuru recently. “Three bores failed and only one had some water after digging for over 600ft. In 1996, water used to gush out just 25ft underground. But now, water cannot be retrieved even after digging for over 500ft underground,” he said. Mahesh added that his father had dug a borewell in 1998. “But this borewell has completely dried up this year. In another farm, a farmer dug over 600ft underground and was able to obtain only half an inch of water,” he explained. Several borewells dug by the panchayat have also dried up. He said lakes in the region have been encroached and converted to farmlands and commercial sites, resulting in the depletion of groundwater.
“We are charged Rs 95 for digging every foot. In case the borewell is successful, we have to give Rs 400 per feet for casing work. Further, we have to spend on transport, welding and food for the workers. In the end, nearly Rs 2 lakh is spent on borewells, irrespective of its success rate. Several farmers, alongside suffering crop loss, have suffered immensely due to failed borewells,” he concluded.