Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, Jan 29: A family in Manimoole, Bantwal taluk, is not among those who fall silent, cursing their destiny if they find that there is shortage of water for cultivation. This is among a few families which adopted tunnel irrigation for cultivation. This family gets credit for showing to others in the district how irrigation through tunnels can be successfully put to use. After Mahalinga Naik from Amai, Adyanadka, Bantwal taluk, was chosen for the Prestigious Padma Shri award, the matter of watering the fields through tunnel irrigation has become a topic of discussion everywhere.

People who had unheard of tunnel irrigation have now been studying about it. There is a family at Manimoole, Bantwal taluk, which has been successfully cultivating its fields with the help of tunnel irrigation. Govinda Bhat, a resident of Manimoole near Vittal, has a lush green field that gets irrigated through tunnels. The family is able to get rich harvests even though the land where they undertake farming is located at the foot of the hills and is barren. The family does not have any streams, ponds or wells in its farm. Still, it has enough supply of water all through the year.

The family introduced this technique after coming to know of it from a few living in south Kerala. By rigging over 20 tunnels through the hills around their farm, the family has succeeded in meeting its water requirement. The family has never used power, fuel or any other kind of pump set to water their fields. The water flows on the basis of gravity.

This family has educated many others about this technology. The hard work of the family in this field that has introduced to the district the method of getting water at an affordable cost has been recognized in the form of several awards and honours. Many foreign research students have also come to Govinda Bhat Surangala to study the irrigation method. The family has also identified various means of getting water for agriculture. Unlike many who lament over the shortage of water, Govinda Bhat stands out, as he shows to the world that hard work pays.