Humiliation in the heat: Vinayaka camp residents sneak for drinking water

Davanagere: A severe water crisis has forced residents of Vinayaka Camp in Davanagere taluk to resort to stealing drinking water.For the families living in this small settlement between the hills near Kurki, summer does not just bring heat — it brings humiliation. Under the blazing sun, as sweat runs and throats go dry, even a pot of water has become something to be chased in fear. Water is no longer a basic necessity within reach.Instead, it has become something they must beg for, endure abuse for, or quietly take under the cover of darkness.Vinayaka Camp lies near stone quarries, where most residents work as daily wage labourers. For three generations, these families have lived here, breaking stones and loading gravel bound for the city.Around 20 houses in the camp shelter nearly 120 people, including many children. While the govt has provided them with houses and land rights, and a borewell exists in the settlement, it ran dry about 15 days ago due to the harsh summer.The gram panchayat attempted to revive the borewell by lowering additional pipes, but no water was found. Following this failed effort, the water supply stopped, and hopes faded.Since then, survival has become a daily struggle. A quarry owner arranged tanker water for a few days, but that temporary relief soon ended.The residents now depend on nearby areca nut plantations and agricultural fields. However, landowners facing their own shortages are unwilling to share water. Women say they are often shouted at, insulted, and even denied access, with borewells switched off in front of them.As a result, they wait and hide, moving only when no one is around to fill a couple of pots — like thieves. Some even collect droplets from drip irrigation lines."We fetch water stealthily when no one is around, or hide and take it in fear. At times, we even gather drops from drip irrigation lines. Since we leave for daily wage work in the morning, we are forced to fetch water at night. Many times, we do so while avoiding snakes in the areca nut gardens," said Rajamma, Mailamma, Sudha, Tombudi, and Kamakshi.TOI tried to contact ZP CEO Gitte Madhav Vittal Rao for comment, but he was unavailable.
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