Daijiworld Media Network - Dharwad (SP)

Dharwad, Jun 23: Since the last five years, the area was parched because of famine. Ponds and reservoirs had gone dry and people were yearning for water. This time however, on account of heavy monsoon rain, ponds and reservoirs are full, and farmers are smiling. Even as people are striving to conserve water, in a foolish initiative, a pond at Navalgunda was emptied by locals a couple of days back.

A person had recently drowned in the pond at Navalli near Shalawadi in Navalgund taluk. In tune with their superstitious beliefs, the villagers pumped out the entire pond.

A person identified as Parashuram Talwar from Navalli village, in a drunken state, had slipped and drowned in the said pond on June 15. His body was retrieved the same day.

This incident had worried the people of the village. They were not ready to consume water from a pond in which someone had died. Therefore, they employed several huge pumps and pumped out the entire water, thus emptying the pond.

Navalli villagers were dependent on water from this pond. Therefore they felt drinking water from the said pond in which a person had died is improper. Although government officials advised them against it, they removed all water from the pond. They are now looking for alternative arrangements to meet water requirement.

The villagers say that so far no one had died in this pond in the past. After a person died, this water was not used by either humans or for drinking water needs of cattle. Therefore, the water was removed, as per majority opinion in the village, they explained.