Puttur: Mogappe lake had once been the lifeline of several villages in Bellare Gram Panchayat limits. This single lake was spreading over a sprawling 10 acre area and with this one can imagine the quantity of water this lake could hold in its womb. However, over the years 75 per cent of the lake has been smothered in silt.
With the heat of drought reaching the villages as well, efforts are being made to breathe life into the lifeline of the region again.
As a first step towards the same, desilting of the lake has been planned so that the lake is made ready to tackle drinking water woes during next summer. What is commendable is the fact that like-minded organizations and individuals have decided to take up the entire project without waiting for government funds.
The century old lake is believed to be sole source of water for Nettaru, Bellare, Peruvaje and nearby villages. However, when locals residents made their individual arrangements for water supplies like well and bores, the dependence on the lake reduced, gradually leaving the lake unattended. Time flew by the shrinking of the lake went unnoticed. Though the GP records state that the lake covers 10.02 acres of land, the silting has eaten away about 50 per cent of the land area. Visibly, the lake is now spreading over five acres now.
The Project
The ambitious project is going to be one of its kind as it is purely a people’s initiative. The plan is to devote 150 hours for de-silting process and various organizations, which have come to join hands in the project can take their time slot according to their financial capabilities. For example, if one organization registers itself to take responsibility of five hours of de-silting, the organization will have to pay for the stipulated time. Once the de-silting is done by pooling organizations and individuals, the Phase II of building retaining wall and other developmental work around the lake will be done utilizing the government funds.
About four-year ago, a sum of Rs one cr that was released by the government for development of the lake had returned as it was not utilized. However, this time, the locals and the administration are determined not to repeat the blunder that had happened in the past.
