Silvester D’Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Brahmavar (SP)

Brahmavar, Nov 21: At several places like Yakshimath and Kody Kanyana within the limits of Saligrama town panchayat and a few other places, saline water from the rivulet has entered the agricultural fields like many times in the past, leaving behind agricultural fields thoroughly ruined. Water from this rivulet often enters the neighbouring agricultural fields not only during the monsoon season but also during other seasons. People grow paddy, groundnut, black gram etc which get destroyed due to the salty water.

People’s representatives of local administrative bodies have taken up the issue through the legislators and ministers at the government level many a time, but the response appears to be lukewarm. No one knows who will resolve the problems faced by the farmers of this region. The saline water can be blocked from entering the agricultural fields if a protective wall is built.

Local leader and social worker, Mahabala Kunder, assisted by his able team, has been putting efforts since long to get the protective wall sanctioned. The rivulet carrying saline water often breaches the banks and enters fields before meeting the sea, for a distance of about ten kilometres at Parampalli Padukare, Yakshimath etc due to the pressure of protective fencing. Every time the water enters the fields, it leaves behind a trail of destruction. Even though a team led by Mahabala Kunder has been drawing the attention of the local MLA and ministers repeatedly through the local administration, the protective wall has remained a mirage. The long drawn campaign carried out by these people has not yielded any positive response.

At the request of local BJP leader, Mahabala Kunder and at the instance of local MLA, the then leader of the opposition, Kota Srinivas Poojary, had sanctioned one crore rupees for the construction of the protective wall. But the work has not begun so far even though years have passed by.