Lok Sabha elections 2024: ‘We all want to be a part of Karnataka instead’

As voting day approaches for the Sangli Lok Sabha constituency Khandu Borgaonkar a resident of Jalihalkhurd village in the droughtprone area of Jath taluka Satara district expressed a desire for his village to be included in Karnataka citing a lack of attention from Maharashtra politicians Speaking with midday he said the situation is so bad that they have to travel 1520 km each day to purchase drinking water ldquoForget about water for farmingrdquo As midday proceeded towards Jalihalkhurd village it was a common sight to see a drum placed outside many households This village stands out as one of the hardesthit droughtaffected regions along the MaharashtraKarnataka borderA tanker supplies water to Basavraj Jamgundrsquos farm PicsAnurag AhireBorgaonkar said ldquoIn our village the situation has deteriorated to the extent that we receive water through governmentsupplied tankers only once every ten days The lack of assistance from the government or our elected representatives has left us feeling neglected Many residents are considering relocation to Karnataka where the government and politicians appear to be more committed to providing essential services to the people While some politicians exploit the sentiment around Marathi language and pride the crucial question remains does this rhetoric effectively address the pressing issue of hunger faced by people affected by drought in our villagerdquoWhen asked about the villagers water management for cooking and drinking one of them showed an 18litre water canister that they purchase daily from Daribadchi a village located approximately 1012 km awayKhandu Borgaonkar carrying drinking waterldquoWith a family of four our daily need for cooking and drinking water amounts to approximately 2030 litres Every day I travel 1012 km each in each direction to purchase water Each 18litre jar sourced from a private borewell costs Rs 10 and I require two jars daily Additionally I spend Rs 50 on fuel for my bike So I end up spending Rs 90 per day for drinking water alone adding up to Rs 2700 per month The ongoing drought and reduced rainfall have depleted our income sources exacerbating our already dire financial situationrdquo Borgaonkar addedFurther into the interiors of the village the situation seems worse as the mercury rises With the majority of the land barren and no water source in sight the primary concern for the people is their livelihoods and incomeFruits on trees have dried due to a lack of waterAnother villager Siddhapa Patil said ldquoIn the absence of water for farming Ive incurred a loss of approximately R15 lakh due to my 4 acres of land being devoid of crops The concern is that are the authorities and politicians in Maharashtra genuinely attentive to our plight Their sporadic appearances in our villages during elections followed by prolonged absences for five years raise doubtsrdquoThe decreasing groundwater level can be another reason for worry in future During middayrsquos travel through Jath tehsil it was observed that several individuals had borewells on their farms to extract groundwater This water is then sold to buyers in Jath city as well as to farmers who require water for their fruit crops such as pomegranates and grapesVillagers want to be part of KarnatakaThere are 65 villages from the droughtprone Jath taluka that have demanded through the Pani Sangharsh Samiti to get included in Karnataka These lie along the MaharashtraKarnataka border and villagers have been alleging that the Maharashtra government and politicians from the area have not been doing anything to resolve the water scarcity issueWater canal in Jath talukaldquoWe have been staying in Maharashtra for so many years and have been demanding for three decades to expand the Mhaisal lift irrigation scheme so that farmers in our droughtprone area benefit but nothing has been done We want our villages to be a part of Karnataka so that at least we get benefits from their governmentrdquo said Mohan Shinde from Khalti village in Jath taluka Under the Mhaisal scheme water from the Krishna River can be provided to the droughtprone villages of Sangli and Kolhapur for consumption and agricultural activitiesJayshree Shejul from the Khalati village fears that in the coming years the situation will get more serious ldquoIts imperative for the government to take prompt action as the water situation is becoming increasingly critical While some farmers with borewells are selling water to neighbouring villages and even Jath city the plight of economically disadvantaged individuals like us cannot be overlooked Having to trek kilometres for drinking water not only poses health risks but also exacerbates our already challenging circumstancesrdquoJamgund at his pomegranate farm in Dharibadchi villageDry farms losses to farmersDuring the visit to the Jath area a water tanker was seen going towards a village The driver said he was supplying water to a private farm As midday followed the water tanker we reached a farm growing pomegranates We noticed that the fruits on the trees had dried up The owner of the farm said he was trying to keep the pomegranate and grapes crop alive so he could earn some income in the coming yearldquoI have invested around R1520 lakh on the pomegranate and grape crop but the entire amount is going to go down the drain as there is no water in our taluka The entire pomegranate crop is drying and so is the grape farm Every alternate day I have to pay Rs 800 for the tanker so that I can empty the water in my well and later use it for the crops Political leaders and representatives are just not bothered or else they would have done something to bring water to the droughtprone villages in this region Villagers in this belt want their villages to be included in Karnataka as we have no hope from the politicians in Maharashtrardquo Basavraj Jamgund said adding thatldquoAround 47 villages in our taluka are dependent on private water tankers for crops The situation for drinking water is even worse and we have to purchase filtered water canistersrdquo he added