The Kakkalapalli village tank overflowed for the first time in 25 years and everyone turned out in their best to celebrate the abundance of water by offering ‘bonalu’ to the village deity on Tuesday.
It was during the period of the current Communist Party of India(CPI) State secretary and the then Anantapur MLA K. Ramakrishna (1994) that the Kakkalapalli tank last overflowed. Adjacent to the Anantapur Municipal Corporation Limits, the tank provides water to farmers growing tomatoes, grapes, and groundnut.
On Tuesday, the entire village assembled to offer prayers to the village deity and carried ‘bonalu’. Women cooked food and carried it in decorated pots on their heads, while some men carried daggers as a ritual.
Meanwhile, District Collector Gandham Chandrudu has asked the Project Director of District Water Management Agency (DWMA) to form multidisciplinary teams comprising officials from DWMA, Rural Water Supply, HNSS and HLC engineers, Agriculture, Horticulture, Minor Irrigation, Panchayati Raj and Revenue departments by October 13 so that a survey of all the existing water bodies - mainly village ponds and irrigation tanks could be taken up from October 14 to November 14.
Survey to be taken up
Once the survey reports of more than 7,000 tanks are ready, strategies to revive the tanks by taking up necessary repairs in a big way would be started from December first week, the Collector added. All details as to what repairs are needed, how much of ayacut is there under the tank and how many people/cattle depend on them for drinking water purposes would be recorded.