KASARAGOD: As part of Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), the district administration is planning to rehabilitate water sources by reviving Surangas or tunnel wells to raise the groundwater level in Kasaragod.

By incorporating Suranga restoration into the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the district administration seeks to promote water conservation, improve livelihoods, and foster women’s leadership in community development through the “Nari Shakthi Se Jal Shakthi” campaign.

District Collector Inbasekar K said, “Our primary objective is to turn the status of Kasaragod block panchayat from critical groundwater category to semi-critical and later to safe groundwater category. At present, four blocks are in the safe category, except Manjeshwar and Kasaragod. Surangas are the traditional water source, and reviving them will help increase the groundwater level.”

Surangas were traditionally used by farmers, as many of the tunnels provided water during the summer. A Suranga is essentially a tunnel carved into a laterite hill that allows water to seep through and collect at the other end. Kasaragod is one of the districts in the state that faces acute water shortage in the summer.