Nagpur: In parched Washim district, the 35,000 residents of Mangrulpir are complaining they are being treated as lesser mortals. Water supply of the town, 250km from Nagpur, has been reduced to once in 15 days. The crisis had led to a proposal to divert water from another dam on emergency basis, but the plan may be put on hold.
The reason for the plan being kept aside is that people of the area to which the dam originally supplies water for irrigation are protesting. Earlier, the district administration had brushed aside these protests as non-serious.
Mangrulpir Municipal Council has the Republican Party of India (RPI) at the helm. “If diversions are implemented in other pockets under police protection, despite similar opposition, then why not for Mangrulpir,” asks council chairperson Gazala Khan. It is a move to appease vote banks, alleged Khan, especially because RPI is in power here.
TOI had reported on April 5 about the conflict between rural and urban pockets in the district over sharing of water. Washim is among the worst affected areas due to the dry spell.
For Mangrulpir, there was a plan to divert water from Sonala dam, which otherwise caters to Selu Bazar and 20 odd villages, 10km from the town. This led to opposition from the villages. At that time, district collector Rahul Videady had described the diversion as a temporary arrangement due to the scarcity.
Now, a letter has been sent from the district collector’s office, seeking the CEO’s opinion on the plan.
“A meeting was held with local MLA Lakhan Malik. As against a plan to lay a pipeline worth Rs4 crore to divert the water, the municipal council has been offered Rs2 lakh to deploy tankers,” said Khan.
There are wells with enough water, which can be supplied through tankers. However, this will leave many pockets in the town dry, she said.
“The letter says the diversion can be put on hold because it is not expected to be completed before the summer ends, and there is opposition. Tenders have already been awarded and the contractor has assured that the pipelines can be laid fast,” she said.
Jamil Qureshi, a local resident, said there was no water supply in his locality since April 5. The situation is only worsening.
Sachin Kulkarni, an activist opposing diversion from Sonala dam, said at present water supply can be managed from wells within the town itself. He suggested that water can also be transported in tankers from Jogaldhari dam, 9km from the town.
