Widening of road solves their water problems

BELGAUM: “Thanks to the Belgaum-Bagalkot road widening project in 2005, the storage capacity of lakes have been expanded, which serves our needs in summer,” the villagers of Mutaga and Sambra said.Former Sambra Gram Panchayat president and farmer Shankar Jatratti told Express that the lakes of Sambra and Mutaga were just about 10 feet deep as they had not been dredged for years.Jatratti said that the population of the villages is increasing and so are the needs.At present Sambra has a population of about 18,000 and Mutaga about 10,000.During the road widening project, the contractor needed mud and the GPs of Mutaga and Sambra suggested that it could be taken from the lakes.This helped in dredging the lakes, making it about 25-35 feet deep.Mutaga GP member Sunil Ashtekar said that during monsoon, a GP employee announces the date and time so that farmers can close the gates of the check dams for diverting water to the lakes.This is a much-awaited day, more like a celebration, as all the farmers have lunch together on the bank of the canal after closing the gate, he added.