Summer has not yet started but already 392 villages in the Marathwada region are dependent on tankers for drinking water supply, officials said on Wednesday. As many as 474 tankers are supplying water in five of the eight Marathwada districts, said a report by the divisional commissioner's office that was submitted to deputy chairperson of the state Legislative Council Neelam Gorhe.
"There is no shortage of drinking water in Nanded and Hingoli districts, but there is a shortage in other districts and necessary steps will be initiated by respective departments," Gorhe said after chairing a drought review meeting here.
The report said 310 villages and 82 'wadis' (small settlements) have become tanker-dependent in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Latur and Dharashiv districts. The highest number of tankers (262) are deployed in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to quench the thirst of 181 villages and 39 small settlements, it said. In Jalna, 120 villages and 43 small settlements are dependent on 120 tankers. Ten tankers are deployed in Dharashiv for three villages. Two tankers are deployed in Beed and one in Latur, the report said.
The administration has acquired 746 wells for supplying water to 535 villages (239 for tankers and 507 for local water supply), the report said, adding that the state government has declared drought in 14 talukas across five districts of Marathwada.
