This story is from November 5, 2019

Thanks to rain, Davanagere tank fills to brim for 2nd time in 6 decades

Shanti Sagara tank in Channagiri taluk of Davanagere district, which is popularly known as Sulekere and is one of Asia’s largest tanks, is filled to the brim for only the second time in six decades.
Thanks to rain, Davanagere tank fills to brim for 2nd time in 6 decades
Shanti Sagara tank in Channagiri taluk of Davanagere district, which is popularly known as Sulekere and is one of Asia’s largest tanks, is filled to the brim for only the second time in six decades.
BENGALURU: Shanti Sagara tank in Channagiri taluk of Davanagere district, which is popularly known as Sulekere and is one of Asia’s largest tanks, is filled to the brim for only the second time in six decades.
Thanks to the heavy showers the district received, the 800-year-old tank, which was full the last time about nine years ago (November 2010) and was all but dried up following droughts in the region over the past few years, has sprung back to life.

The tank, which is the lifeline for many taluks in Davanagere and Chitradurga districts, is about 270km from Bengaluru. It’s circumference spans 30km and it is spread over 6,550 acres.
Incidentally, Cyclone Jal had filled up the tank last time. This time, another cyclone, Kyarr, has come to its rescue. Locals say good monsoon and post monsoon showers also helped it get filled.
According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), Channagiri taluk received a cumulative rainfall of 301mm in October, a departure of 151% from normal levels.
In November 2010 — when the tank was filled after five decades — overflowing water had flooded several houses in Rudrapura village, forcing residents to take shelter in a school.
Harish K, a villager near Sulekere, said the lake has the potential to hold more water if desilted. “We have been asking the authorities to desilt it but no action has been taken,” he said.
An official from Kerebilachi gram panchayat, under whose jurisdiction the tank falls, said it received good inflow in 2014 as well. “But this year, the lake has got a bounty. Desilting is the need of the hour but the department concerned is yet to identify a location to dump the silt,” he said.
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