Hubballi: The water level has fallen to as low as 800ft in North Karnataka , neighbouring Maharashtra Telangana and other areas.Farmers are under distress and struggling hard to get even an inch of water in borewells. Wells are drying up after continuous drought spells Shazar Robinson, 70, spends six months a year in Hubballi to create awareness about borewell recharging among farmers. She’s an adviser-consultant with Hubballi-based Sankalpa Rural Development Society (SRDS), which is involved in borewell recharging through rain water harvesting for a decade. She doesn’t get paid by SRDS and stays here on her own cost.Robinson said she’s a retired professional from the health industry in Australia but is passionate about working together towards a healthy planet and respect for all our humans. “When I worked with Shikshan Gram Shelter for Children in Maharasthra in 2010, I came in touch with SRDS Hubballi and worked for constructing a check dam at Tirzada village in March 2015. I moved to Hubballi over 2 years ago to work on rain water harvesting and restoration of ground water,” she said.Sikandar Meeranaik, founder, SRDS, said language is not a barrier for Robinson to interact with farmers. “She travelled about 2,300km in a Maruti Omni through villages of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh last year and tried to convince farmers to incorporate rain water harvesting and borewell recharging to eliminate water scarcity. She even extends partial financial assistance to poor farmers,” he added.She’s also involved in promoting inspiring projects online and SRDS has benefited enormously by it.Anand Patil, founder chairman, Society for Participatory Rural and Environment Development (SPRED), Savadatti, said Robinson kindness has won over rural women. “We had invited her for a workshop. She explained to farmers through pictures and videos. Thanks to her, the number of farmers who wish to recharge abandoned borewells increased from the targeted 10 to 30,” he added.Basavanagouda Kananasangi, a farmer in Dyavanakunda village, Kalghatgi taluk, said about 15 farmers in surrounding villages have benefited by her guidance. “If she faces a language problem while interacting with us, she takes the help of others who can understand English and translate it into Kannada. She mostly uses a smartphone or laptop to explain the technical aspects.”

Stay updated with all the Latest Hubli headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.