Chitradurga: Deputy chief minister and revenue minister G Parameshwara on Saturday said that most reservoirs in the state have reached critically low levels and nearly 80% of lakes have dried up, raising serious concerns over drinking water availability amid the prevailing drought conditions.He was speaking at the Bengaluru regional division-level progress review meeting held at the Anubhava Mantapa Hall of Murugharajendra Bruhanmath in Chitradurga. Parameshwara said the foremost challenge in the current drought situation was ensuring access to drinking water. The water available in reservoirs should not be used for agricultural purposes and must be reserved exclusively for drinking water needs, he stressed.
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He called for all necessary measures to be taken to ensure that people do not suffer because of the drought.The DCM said reservoir levels across the state were alarmingly low and that nearly 80% of lakes had dried up due to the severity of the drought. He noted that the immediate concern was drinking water scarcity, forcing the govt to rent private borewells and supply water through tankers.“The govt has already taken every possible step to address the situation. A sum of Rs 5 crore has been sanctioned for each district to meet drinking water needs, and district commissioners are already utilising these funds. In addition, Rs 1 crore has been allocated to each constituency,” he said.Parameshwara added that task forces had been formed in every taluk, and deputy commissioners and chief executive officers had been instructed to hold weekly meetings at both the district and taluk levels.He said these meetings would help monitor the evolving drought situation and facilitate the preparation of effective action plans. He added that the drinking water situation was changing from day to day, requiring constant monitoring and timely intervention.
