Shivamogga (Karnataka): Rivers have stopped flowing due to a lack of rain. The ditches have dried up. Due to this, wild animals are searching for drinking water. A farmer here is trying to keep the river alive by letting his borewell water into the river for the sake of wild animals.
Manjunath Bhat alias Papanna Bhatta, a resident of Suduru Gate, Hosanagar tehsil, Shivamogga district, has been doing the work of pumping borewell water into the Kumdvati river for two hours every day for the last 15 years only in the summer season.
Manjunath Bhatt's land is located right next to the Kumdvati River. Wild animals like bison, deer, hare, mongoose, peacock, and other animals come to drink this river water. These animals start howling loudly when there is no water. Hearing their cries, Manjunath pumps borewell water into the river.
Manjunath Bhatt keeps pumping water into the river for two consecutive hours, checking the time when electricity is available to him. Then he waters his fields for four hours. Manjunath is currently blessed with free electricity from the Karnataka government. Along with agriculture, he has engaged himself in several social activities including tube well repair, and snake conservation.
"Kumadwati river stops flowing when drought sets in. Without water in the river, wild animals have problems. It is difficult to hear their cries when there is no water when they come to the river at night. So I am releasing water into the river for two hours every day from the borewell of my farm," Manjunath said.
"Deer, bison, mongoose, peacock, and monkeys come to drink water in the river," he added.
"There is electricity for six hours every day. I pump borewell water in the river for two hours and then I water the farm for the remaining four hours. I am happy to see the wild animals and birds drinking water. I also enjoy this work. I have been doing this work for 15 years (in the summer season).
"Seeing this, some people call me crazy. I take water from the river while planting paddy in the rainy season. Now, when the river dries up during drought, I pump water in it. When the motor breaks down, I do the small jobs myself. Other than that, there is no other cost. Currently, the Karnataka government is providing free electricity. Due to this, there is no problem," Manjunath added.
Villagers have also appreciated the work of Manjunath. A villager Basappa said, "Everyone takes water from the river. But he is draining water into the river to quench the thirst of wild animals. The river has already dried up. But Bhat is draining water in the river and making sure that there is water in it. Even if there is any problem in someone's house, he comes forward".
Farmer draining water from borewell to the river: Similarly, Bhuvaneshwar Shidlapura, a farmer of Sanguru village of Haveri tehsil is draining water from a borewell in his farm to the river. His work is getting a lot of appreciation.
"For so long, I have used a lot of water from Varada river. But now the river has dried up. There is no water for wild animals and cattle. It is my duty to ensure that there is water for people and cattle," said Shidlapura.
He has been draining water from the borewell to the river next to the farm for the past 10 days. There are three borewells in his land. Abundant water is coming from these borewells. Just a few days ago, a borewell was drilled near the river and a good amount of water was found in it.
The water of the new borewell has also been released into the Varada river. Farmers from surrounding villages including Sanguru are watering their cattle here. They wash the bodies of the cattle, which are scorched by the heat of the sun. Women are coming here from the village to clean their clothes. Cowherds also water their sheep. Farmer Bhuvaneshwar's work brought life to this part.
"The debt of mother nature is on me. This year there is an unprecedented drought. Life is in trouble. In such a situation, I am working to repay the debt of mother nature at least a little bit. If the water I drain satisfies the thirst of people, cattle, and wild animals, my hard work is worth it," quipped Shidlapura.
"I am supplying water to the river only six hours a day. The reason for this is the problem of electricity. Electricity is being supplied only for six hours in 24 hours a day. That too three hours in the day and three hours in the night. Therefore, I am supplying water from the borewell only for six hours a day. If more electricity is supplied by the state government, I will release more water into the river,” he added.
Villagers said, "Our water problem has also been solved to some extent. The groundwater level has fallen in Sanguru village and we are watering the cattle with this water."
