In this HD Kote hamlet, tribals have to trek 3km for one pot of water

MYSURU: It is not without reason that several activists and prominent personalities from tribal communities often belabour the insulation of the ‘city dwellers’ to the many existensial problems plaguing those living beyond the pale. In most localities of cities, including

Mysuru

, all that one has to do in order to slake his or her thirst is to flip a tap, and have

water

gush into a tumbler, which is promptly drained in a gulp or two. However, around 50km from Mysuru, in a tribal hamlet populated by 250 people in Heggada Devana (HD) Kote taluk, gulping down a glass of water is the culmination of a painstaking chore, one that entails a 3km-long trek.

This is the situation in Hosalli Haadi, under the purview of N Begur

gram panchayat

in Antharasanthe hobli, with the residents forced to endure a trudge through the verdant stretches of a tiger reserve to get water from a farmer. The people in the tribal hamlet have been plunged in this ordeal owing to a thoughtless act of a few miscreants, who smashed the solitary water pipeline about a year ago. Sadly, the authorities concerned have not repaired the broken pipeline, prolonging the ordeal for the people.

All the people in Hosalli Haadi belong to the

Jenu Kuruba

community, not very far from the backwaters of the Kabini Reservoir. Notwithstanding the hamlet’s proximity to the river, getting potable water for sustenance remains a daunting task. The concentration of a sizeable chunk of the tiger population – the hamlet lies between the Nagarahole and Bandipur tiger reserves – adds to the hamlet’s problems.

Jenu Kurubas is only one of the two tribal communities – the other being Koraga – listed as ‘primitive’, owing to their impoverished condition, and the declining population. Their vulnerable condition has prompted the state government to ensure that the members of the two communities have no difficulty in accessing basic amenities.

Interestingly, it was at Hosalli Haadi that former chief minister SM Krishna held a cabinet meeting in 2000, with some of the most senior leaders in the state visiting the hamlet. Former Karnataka governor TN Chaturvedi was the other high-profile personality to visit to the hamlet, as part of a series of interactions with members from tribal communities. Former CM HD Kumaraswamy was the latest addition to this list, visiting the Gundre Maramma temple in the hamlet three months ago, at a time when the coalition government he was leading was on the brink of collapse.

For long, a borewell was the only source of drinking water for the people in the hamlet. A line drawn from the borewell was the lifeline of the hamlet. However, a few miscreants, over what is alleged to be a turf war, damaged this pipeline, depriving the residents of the only spurce of drinking water. Sources in the hamlet said that a farmer, Mahadeva, fills a tank near Vivekananda Institute, from which the Hosalli Haadi residents draw water for their needs.

Budakattu Krishikara Sangha’s

HD Kote

secretary Vijaykumar told TOI that, although the farmer, Mahadeva, did not demand money, each family in the hamlet gave him Rs 50 to Rs 100 every month. “We have submitted a memorandum to the officials and elected representatives in the gram panchayat, and even staged a protest. We have escalated the issue, and brought the problem to the notice of the Mysuru deputy commissioner,” said Vijaykumar, adding that the GP had suspended services of a waterman without citing any rational reason.

Begur GP member Jayamma admitted to the crisis in Hosalli Haadi. “I have raised the issue on multiple occasions when the GP has met. The borewell was very old, and became dysfunctional. We have sought the installation of a new borewell,” Jayamma told TOI.