<p class="title">Gowri lake, which is in the heart of Ponnampet, was one of the major sources of drinking water in the past. However, today, the lake is filled with silt.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The lake is situated only 500 meters from the Ponnampet bus stand.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Gowri-Ganapathy idols worshipped during Ganeshotsava at Basaveshwara Temple are being immersed in Gowri lake for the past several years. Therefore, the lake got the name ‘Gowri’, said a senior citizen of the town, S L Shivanna.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He said that the people also used to wash their clothes in the lake, around 15 years ago and many others carried water from the lake for drinking.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“After every household received the water pipeline connection, the number of people who used the lake water dwindled. Eventually, this led to a lack of care towards the lake. The lake is cleaned only during Ganesha Chaturthi,” he said and urged the Gram Panchayat to take the initiative to clean the lake regularly.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Like Shivanna, many other elders in the region recall that the Gowri lake was initially a small pond. It was widened later and now it spreads over an area of one acre. The field in the low lying area of the lake belongs to the temple.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Every year, people take the paddy sheaths from the same field, during Huttari and offer them to the temple.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A protective wall has been built around the lake and a canal has been built to facilitate the flow of extra water.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The water in the lake rarely dries up. The lake has been helping to maintain the groundwater level in the nearby borewells and open wells.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, due to lack of maintenance, shrubs have grown around the lake and the lake is filled with silt.</p>.<p><strong>‘Preserve lakes’</strong></p>.<p class="bodytext">Puttaname Prasad, a resident of Ponnampet, said that there were several lakes in and around Ponnampet and now, many of them have vanished due to lack of maintenance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Now, there are only Gowri lake, Rachayyana lake, Matturu lake, Shambayyana lake and Gundiyat Ayyappa lake remaining. But, all are filled with silt and surrounded by shrubs, he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Autorickshaw driver T R Vinod said that the preservation of streams, ponds and lakes is the need of the hour.</p>.<p class="bodytext">If the lakes are converted into sites after dumping soil, we may have to struggle for drinking water in future, he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ponnampet panchayat development officer Puttaraju said that the water from Shambayyana lake and Gowri lake is being used for drinking.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Under MGNREGS, the silt from the lakes is removed once in three years. Lakes under Ponnampet Gram Panchayat have not been encroached upon, he added.</p>
<p class="title">Gowri lake, which is in the heart of Ponnampet, was one of the major sources of drinking water in the past. However, today, the lake is filled with silt.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The lake is situated only 500 meters from the Ponnampet bus stand.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Gowri-Ganapathy idols worshipped during Ganeshotsava at Basaveshwara Temple are being immersed in Gowri lake for the past several years. Therefore, the lake got the name ‘Gowri’, said a senior citizen of the town, S L Shivanna.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He said that the people also used to wash their clothes in the lake, around 15 years ago and many others carried water from the lake for drinking.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“After every household received the water pipeline connection, the number of people who used the lake water dwindled. Eventually, this led to a lack of care towards the lake. The lake is cleaned only during Ganesha Chaturthi,” he said and urged the Gram Panchayat to take the initiative to clean the lake regularly.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Like Shivanna, many other elders in the region recall that the Gowri lake was initially a small pond. It was widened later and now it spreads over an area of one acre. The field in the low lying area of the lake belongs to the temple.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Every year, people take the paddy sheaths from the same field, during Huttari and offer them to the temple.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A protective wall has been built around the lake and a canal has been built to facilitate the flow of extra water.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The water in the lake rarely dries up. The lake has been helping to maintain the groundwater level in the nearby borewells and open wells.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, due to lack of maintenance, shrubs have grown around the lake and the lake is filled with silt.</p>.<p><strong>‘Preserve lakes’</strong></p>.<p class="bodytext">Puttaname Prasad, a resident of Ponnampet, said that there were several lakes in and around Ponnampet and now, many of them have vanished due to lack of maintenance.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Now, there are only Gowri lake, Rachayyana lake, Matturu lake, Shambayyana lake and Gundiyat Ayyappa lake remaining. But, all are filled with silt and surrounded by shrubs, he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Autorickshaw driver T R Vinod said that the preservation of streams, ponds and lakes is the need of the hour.</p>.<p class="bodytext">If the lakes are converted into sites after dumping soil, we may have to struggle for drinking water in future, he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ponnampet panchayat development officer Puttaraju said that the water from Shambayyana lake and Gowri lake is being used for drinking.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Under MGNREGS, the silt from the lakes is removed once in three years. Lakes under Ponnampet Gram Panchayat have not been encroached upon, he added.</p>