Bengaluru: The state is staring at a drinking water crisis even before the onset of summer. Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, H K Patil warned on Tuesday that unless the Centre came to its rescue, the state may have to go in for a loan to provide drinking water to its people.
Although it is still only mid- February, the government is already supplying water through 50 hired water tankers, according to him. The situation is grim as the major reservoirs, including the Almatti, are expected to dry up faster this year.
And the state is helpless as it has only Rs 30 to 40 crore for supplying drinking water as against its requirement of around Rs 1000 crore, going by the minister. “I intend to hold talks with the Chief Minister
on the issue on Februbary 19 at the Cabinet meeting and hold another expert committee meeting on Feburary 24 to discuss the drinking water shortage we are likely to face this summer. We will have to work on providing drinking water on a war footing,” he told reporters here.
Hitting out at the Centre, he regretted it had cut grants for three major projects, including the one for providing drinking water to the people in the state.
While it had promised Rs 531 crore for drinking water to Karnataka, it had sanctioned only Rs 219 crore. It had also gone back on its word to give Rs 901 crore for Swachha Bharath Andolan by sanctioning only Rs 335 crore for it.
And as for the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment scheme, it had given only Rs 800 crore as against the state’s requirement of around '3000 crore, he deplored.
Charging the Centre with being stepmotherly to Congress- ruled states, Mr Patil recalled it had released over Rs 4000 crore in advance to Andhra Pradesh. “If the Centre doesn't help us even now, we will have to raise a loan to provide drinking water to the people,” he added.
