Karnataka: Mulagunda town panchayat in Gadag revives seven lakes

GADAG: The Mulagunda town panchayat has successfully revived seven lakes under its jurisdiction. The panchayat authorities managed to clear encroachment across 18 acres, which has ensured uninterrupted flow of water into the lakes. The authorities revived three lakes using both government funds, and money they obtained from private organisations. The panchayat’s accomplishment was acknowledged by the government, which awarded it the first prize in lake conservation and revival.
Mulagunda town panchayat chief officer MS Bentur said that encroachment along the lakes’ catchment area had left them parched and barren. “We collected all the relevant documents from the land records department, following which we cleared all the encroachment. We revived three lakes with funds disbursed by the government. The Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project sanctioned Rs 4.1 lakh. The total cost of reviving the seven lakes came up to Rs 24 lakh. We issued an open call to the farmers across Mulagunda, and each of them was offered one load of silt removed from the lake free of cost. We enlisted earthmoving machines and tractors from the other nine town panchayats in Gadag. We only bore the expenses for fuel, which helped us save on the rent we may have incurred had we fired private vehicles,” Bentur said.
Mulagunda-based farmer Basavaraj Sunkapur said that the revival of the lakes had helped recharge the groundwater reserves in the town. “Many borewells that farmers in and around the town had abandoned have now sprung back to life. Farmers in villages around Mulagunda such as Hosur, Kanavi, Chinchali, Yalavatti have also benefitted from the silt they got, which has improved the fertility of the soil,” Sunkapur said.
Bapugouda Bharamagoudra, a farmer from Yalavatti, a village neighbouring Mulagunda, said that many temples located alongside the lakes, had been renovated, and canals feeding them had been cleaned. “The panchayat has also planted saplings around the lakes, which has increased greencover,” he said.
Mulagunda town panchayat member Vijaykumar Neelagund appreciated the officials for taking up the initiative of clearing encroachment despite the risk of opposition it may attract from political parties. “Villagers will certainly benefit from this initiative. The revival of the lakes has also translated into an increase in the income from fisheries. Lakes are now attracting birds in thousands, some flying here from the neighbouring Magadi Lake,” said Neelagund, who is vice-president of the Lakes’ Development Committee.