Gadag-Betgeri residents parched as water supply halts for 20 days

Gadag: The Gadag-Betgeri city - long troubled by an acute shortage of drinking water - is once again facing severe supply disruptions. Despite being connected to the Tungabhadra River decades ago, large parts of the city have not received water for more than 20 days, with officials attributing the lapse to pipeline damage.

Residents, however, fear the situation could worsen as summer approaches.The crisis comes at a time when the Gadag-Betgeri City Municipal Council (GBCMC) remains suspended following a court order disqualifying three councillors. The Gadag deputy commissioner is currently serving as the administrator.Madhav Ganachari, former GBCMC councillor, told TOI that the situation highlights a lack of political will.

"Funds worth Rs 120 crore were sanctioned during the BJP tenure for maintenance. When the water supply collapsed three months ago, BJP workers staged a dharna. District minister HK Patil then assured water supply once every three days. Now, we haven't received water for the past 20 days - and it may stretch to 30 days or more," he said.Akkamahadevi Godachappanavar, a resident of Ganji Basaveshwar Circle, said she had to take a half-day leave from her teaching job on Tuesday just to store water after a 21-day gap.

"Officials always cite pipeline repairs or technical issues - even in this era of AI. They take weeks to fix problems and never inform us when the supply will resume. Those of us who go to work constantly call neighbours to check whether water has arrived," she said.A senior district administration officer, requesting anonymity, said the core issue is poor system upkeep. "There is no real water scarcity. If GBCMC had used AMRUT scheme funds properly to plug gaps in the distribution network, we wouldn't be facing this crisis.

The 24x7 water supply project introduced in 2018 remains only on paper," the officer said.District minister HK Patil did not respond to calls or messages.River flow declinesTungabhadra River is the Gadag district's primary surface water source. According to a survey conducted by the Karnataka Monitoring and Evaluation Authority, Bengaluru, in May 2025, the river's annual flow has steadily declined in recent years due to climate change, increased agricultural withdrawal, and regulation through dams and reservoirs.