Bhatkal: Flanked by the dense forests of the Western Ghats on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other, Bhatkal is well-known for receiving heavy rainfall during the monsoon. However, the town continues to grapple with a longstanding problem during the summer months: an acute shortage of drinking water. With the onset of summer this year, the water crisis has once again intensified, causing significant hardship to the residents. Although some areas witnessed sporadic rainfall, the heat has remained relentless, and the water scarcity persists as a pressing concern.
As in previous years, the underground water table has drastically declined, leading to the drying up of wells and ponds across the region. Despite the presence of several wells in the coastal belt and near the Sarabi River, many of them have become unusable either due to contamination from drainage water or due to salinity. Even borewells drilled in some areas have failed to yield water, exacerbating the crisis.
In villages such as Tengingundi, Belke, Murdeshwar, and Bengre, women have been seen carrying empty pots from one place to another in search of water. In response to the dire situation, water is being supplied through tankers in several areas, but the supply remains insufficient to meet daily needs.
The residents of Bhatkal primarily rely on the Kadvinkatta Dam for drinking water. For those residing within the Bhatkal Town Municipal Council (TMC) and Jali Patan Panchayat limits, this dam serves as the sole source of potable water. With the town’s rapid urban growth, the demand for water has significantly increased. Moreover, in recent years, peripheral regions such as Mavinkurve, Shirali, and Alvekodi have also come to depend on the same dam, further stretching its capacity. As reliance increases, the dam’s resources continue to deplete.
Originally constructed in 1971-72 to support irrigation, the Kadvinkatta Dam now also caters to the drinking water needs of the region. With a total storage capacity of 200 million cubic meters, approximately 25 million cubic meters are utilized annually for drinking purposes, while 10 million cubic meters remain as dead storage. The remaining 140 million cubic meters are supplied for agricultural use through canals.
A major concern surrounding the dam is the accumulation of silt and debris over the years, which has not been removed for decades. This has significantly reduced the dam’s effective water storage capacity. In 2016, the Bhatkal TMC implemented floating machines to extract water from various pockets of the reservoir, ensuring some level of supply during the peak summer season, even when water levels run low.
Currently, the water supplied through municipal taps is inconsistent in quality—sometimes clear, sometimes muddy. This is primarily attributed to pre-monsoon showers occurring intermittently in the hilly forested areas, which cause muddy runoff to flow into the reservoir and eventually into the municipal supply system.
Speaking on the issue, Bhatkal TMC Chief Officer Venkatesh Nauda clarified that the discoloration of water is a temporary issue. He added that adjustments are being made to the quantities of alum and potassium used for water treatment in an effort to address the problem.
District In-charge Minister Mankal Vaidya also acknowledged the severity of the crisis, stating that borewells drilled in some areas have yielded no water. As a temporary solution, water is being supplied to areas such as Belke, Heble, and Murdeshwar Janta Colony. The minister further revealed that a project is being planned to bring water from the Sharavati River to Bhatkal by next year.
Meanwhile, Altaf Kharuri, the incarge president of Bhatkal Municipality, stated that under the Amrut 2.0 Scheme a comprehensive water supply project costing around ₹30 crore is underway. Once completed, this initiative is expected to significantly resolve the town’s drinking water crisis, especially during summer months, by improving supply in both municipal and adjoining panchayat areas.