Over 34 lakh people now depend on tankers in Marathwada

AURANGABAD: Marathwada, which consists of a total of eight districts, is supplied with as many as 2,185 water tankers every single day, in the wake of the rising water scarcity problem that confronts the region, with a population of more than 34.4 lakh people of the region having to become completely dependent on an alternative water supply arrangement as the municipal bodies cannot ensure sufficient water supply in the area through normal methods.
As per the official data, Aurangabad district continues to get the maximum number of daily water tankers at 915, followed by Beed (652), Jalna (403), Osmanabad (93), Nanded (51), Hingoli (28), Latur (24) and Parbhani (19)
A total of 14.28 lakh people have become dependent on water tankers for the supply of water in Aurangabad district, followed by 9.62 lakh people in Beed, 6.43 lakh people in Jalna and 2.09 lakh people in Osmanabad. A population of over 84,000 people has become dependent on water tanker for supply in Nanded, while the number of such dependent people has crossed 53,000 in the district of Latur. Hingoli and Parbhani districts have a dependent population of more than 38,000 and more than 26,000, respectively, show the official records.
A senior government official said that the total number of water tankers that are required to fulfil the supply demand has surged by over 45 over the period of the last one week. “With the onset of summer, the demand for water tankers from the population is expected to skyrocket further. All the respective district administrations of the region have been told to respond to the demand of water tankers from various affected villages and hamlets in the quickest possible time,” said the senior revenue department official.
As far as the district of Aurangabad is concerned, the Gagapur, Vaijapur and the limits of Aurangabad taluka, among various other talukas, were reeling from the water scarcity problem even while the previous Monsoon season was still ongoing. “Due to a poor run of Monsoon, these areas have been receiving water tankers since July and August of the last year. The water scarcity has become more acute in these areas, resulting an increased number of tankers required for these areas,” said the authorities. A total of 3,212 private and public bore-wells have
been acquired by the government machinery in the eight districts of Marathwada, against the backdrop of the growing water scarcity problem. “The number of acquisitions of such artificial water bodies has been also increasing in proportion with the growing demand for water tankers. The number of acquired borewells has gone up by 41 over a period of just the last one week. These bore-wells provide a source of water for filling the water tankers, among other needs,” said the authorities