Only 5% of water tankers in parched areas are govt-run

Number of villages and hamlets facing water crisis has gone up three-fold compared to 2015

An unprecedented 9,579 villages and hamlets in Maharashtra are currently surviving on over 4,640 tankers, as only 17 per cent water is available in all the dams supplying those areas.

The number of villages and hamlets facing water deficiency has increased three-fold compared to 2015 and, last week, the figure had gone up by 826.

Going by the government data for the last two months, the list of such villages and hamlets is seeing an addition of 800 every week.

Above all, almost 95 per cent of the tankers used to supply water are from private operators. According to the government figures, out of the 4,640 tankers, the State is providing only 298.

Marathwada, the worst affected areas, has a negligible number of government tankers: out of 3,174 in the area, 3,043 are run by private owners. In Latur, where the government has sent water by train, the situation is no different: out of 260 tankers, only 15 are government-run. Nasik division has 893 tankers, 70 of which are government-run.

And Vidarbha has only 171 tankers. Ironically, the water-rich Pune division has 334 tankers operating.

The State Water Supply Minister Babanrao Lonikar told The Hindu that those living in apartments, or comparatively wealthy people, do not want to stand in a queue for government tankers, and hence call for private ones. “Private tankers are used only for storage purposes, but let me assure you that every day drinking water is provided by the government tankers without fail. You can go to hamlets and check where we are in the forefront.”

He, however, refused to comment on regulating private tankers which are selling water at rates much higher than fixed by the government.