Donkeys help remote Maharashtra hamlet tide over water crisis

NASHIK: Providing water to a remote hamlet in the rough terrain of Nandurbar has become such an uphill task for the administration that they have “hired” the services of 17 donkeys for the work.
Koilidabar hamlet, located deep in the forest area of Satpura hills, does not have any road connectivity. Tankers cannot reach the hamlet of 250 tribals due to the difficult terrain. The tribals, including pregnant women, were trekking long distances to fetch water after all local sources ran dry.
District collector Balaji Manjule told TOI that they had to resort to this novel measure as the water sources in the hamlet have dried up. The donkeys began carrying the cans of water uphill from May 19.
“The district administration cannot be insensitive to the problem that these tribals are facing. The animals are making two trips providing about 1,000 litres of water daily. The initiative will continue till the monsoon arrives,” he said.
District officials said it was for the first time in the region that donkeys were being pressed into service to meet the water needs for the tribals.
When the district collector heard of the situation in the hamlet, he sent some officials to conduct a spot enquiry into the issue. Local tehsildar Pankaj Lokhande went to the hamlet. “Three of the four wells in the hamlet have dried up and the fourth one has paltry amount of water. So, women too had to travel long distances to get water. We are making the wells deeper but it is a timeconsuming exercise due to the rocky terrain,” said Lokhande.
The administration then decided to hire the donkeys belonging to two brothers, who stay in the same village. “The two brothers usually use the animals to carry their own materials. They will be paid from the funds of the local gram panchayat. We will have to pay around Rs 2 lakh to the owners of the animals,” district administration sources added.
According to the district officials, the 17 donkeys make two trips daily covering a distance of three kilometers between the water source and the hamlet. Each of the animals carries two water jars. The daily water supply by the animals is to the tune of 1,000 litres.
Overall, there is one tanker providing drinking water in Nandurbar district. Elsewhere, the district administration has acquired private wells and other sources to provide water to the areas facing scarcity.