Nagpur: As the state declares eight talukas of Washim, Yavatmal and Jalgaon districts drought-hit, there are demands to include
Mangrulpir taluka, which has lately seen protests due to
water shortage, in the list. The government’s list of
drought affected areas only includes
Washim taluka of the district.
TOI had visited Mangrulpir on April 4, and found a grim situation. Activists submitted a memorandum at the district collectorate on Thursday, demanding that even Mangrulpir taluka should be declared as drought-hit. They pointed out that the rainfall in Mangrulpir taluka was less than that in Washim. By that standard, even Mangrulpir should be in the list, demanded activists. TOI has repeatedly carried stories on the grim water situation of the area.
Declaring an area drought-hit leads to aid measures, including deployment of tankers from the government.
Sachin Kulkarni, a self-styled water activist, said the main condition for declaring an area drought-hit is that the rainfall has to be below 75% of the average from June to September. Even Mangrulpir has received rainfall below 75%, he claimed.
When TOI inquired at the district collector’s office over telephone, it was told that Mangrulpir taluka had received 51.35% rainfall as against the average. On the other hand, rainfall in Washim district was 55%, said the source. Manora also a tehsil in Washim had received 60% rainfall, said the source.
There are six talukas in the district, out of which two — Malegaon and Risod — received enough rainfall at 92% and 119% of the average. In the rest, it is below 75%, which is a criterion for declaring a drought. However, only Washim taluka has got the drought-hit tag at present.
At Mangrulpir, even the alternate source of water has dried up. Gazala Khan, chairperson of the municipal council here, alleged bias against the town due to political reasons. “Maybe we are being neglected because the local body here is run by the Republican Party of India (RPI) in a district otherwise dominated by BJP.”
The Motsawanga dam, which originally caters to the town, has dried up, and only muddy water from the rock bottom is available, once a fortnight. There was a plan to divert water supply from Sonal, another dam 10km away, which too has dried up.
“I don’t understand why our area was not included in the list. It’s worse off, if compared to Washim. Even the plan to divert water from Sonal was proposed to be stalled, though the dam itself has dried up. All we have got under an emergency measure is Rs2 lakh, which is a pittance,” said Khan. The water from Motsawanga may not last beyond two rounds, she said She also alleged indifference of government officials in the district.
