29/12/2025
๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฒ๐- ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ถ "๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐"- ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐-
**๐ป๐๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐ **
Traditionally, Belagavi draws water from the Rakaskoppa reservoir located on the Markhandeya river. The names originate from 'Rakshasa'- The Demon in the Hills and 'Koppa'- Hamlet. The river Markhandeya alludes to a famous sage who attained immortality through his devotion to Lord Shiva. I guess the name in addition to the reverence relates to the fact the river was immortal-perennial.
Since its construction in 1962, the same has not been desilted. Way back in 2013 it was estimated that the reservoir has around 15 ft of silt which is humungous for a reservoir that is around 30-35 ft deep. It is estimated that this lost storage space itself could provide around 70-80 days of water in summer. Nowadays Rakaskoppa hits dead storage right in April while earlier the same used to happen around June. A shallower and broader reservoir also means more evaporation loss.
Additionally, due to reduced storage capacity, right at the beginning of the monsoon, the reservoir fills up and floods the spaces down stream even when the rainfall is not record breaking.
While there have been talks about reducing the amount of silt entering the reservoir, not much is being discussed about desilting, for reasons best known to the administration.
Partial desilting after the stocks reach dead storage might be a solution but it comes with its risks especially if done with machines. It might disturb the clogged bottom layer and expose the lateritic surface which might allow water to seep through. Manual desilting in a controlled manner might be a good option to consider.
This has to be accompanied by resolving the inflow of fresh silt. This warrants a conscious and significant increase in the green cover of the upstream spaces like the Belgundi- Bijgarni belt and spaces in the vicinity, especially the feeding streams from the Western Ghats region so that the vegetation slows down the flow of water. This controlled release of water ensures that the Markhandeya might revert to its once perennial state which would greatly address the issues pertaining to the reservoir, with or without the existing silt.
The issue is a complex one but should the determination set it especially on part of the administration and the people's representatives, it would greatly resolve one large chunk of the water issues faced in the city.
**The article is a result of some random yet searching conversations with Google Gemini
