R B Jagadish
Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (EP)

Karkala, Jul 6: The Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) was formed several years ago to defeat the Naxals in the Western Ghats and its coastal foothills, with Karkala as its center.

However, the failure of the government to provide basic facilities to the ANF has resulted in the contamination of Ramasamudra lake.

The drainage water being released from the ANF quarters flows into Ramasamudra. It is unfortunate that citizens of Karkala are using the very same water for drinking and other purposes.

The building belonging to the Karnataka tourism department and land of one acre near Ramasamudra have been let out for ANF personnel, and more than 200 of them are living there. Nearly 75 personnel of the Anti-Naxal Force and KSRP staff who were staying in a rented place on Court Road have shifted to the central quarters near Ramasamudra.

There are no basic facilities for such a large number of people. In the absence of adequate drainage facilities, the waste water flows into Ramasamudra lake.

History of Ramasamudra

King Veera Bhairarasa who ruled the state between 1390 and 1420 had made Kerevase (Kervase) the capital of his kingdom. He had two children - Veera Pandya and Ramanatha. Ramanatha had an untimely death, and the Ramasamudra lake was created by the king in his memory.

Source of drinking water

Prior to Mundli Dam project, the water of Ramasamudra was being supplied to town municipal limits after purification. As the water in the lake does not dry even in peak summer, the people in Karkala do not face scarcity of water. At times, artificial scarcity gets created by officials or electedrepresentatives due to negligence.

After the construction of the dam on Swarna River in Mundli in 1994, this water was made to flow to the water purification units of Ramasamudra which then got distributed to the town municipal limits. As the water in Swarna River dries up every year, the water from Ramasamudra gets distributed.

Negligence of Mudaru gram panchayat

Mudaru gram panchayat had decided several years ago to construct drainage facilities for the flow of waste water from the commercial establishments in Bajagoli market. However, the work that was implemented was contrary to what was decided.

Work has progressed rapidly enabling the waste water to pass through Mala into Swarna River. However, when the work had reached the final stages, following reports in the media, objections were raised in the general meeting of the town municipal council.

After the Karkala municipal council submitted a complaint to the deputy commissioner, the unscientific project undertaken by the gram panchayat was abandoned. A grant amounting to several lacs of rupees went waste.