This story is from May 19, 2019

In a replay of Latur, Manmad gets water once in three weeks

Water has become so scarce in Manmad, the third largest urban pocket in Nashik district, that its residents are comparing their plight to what Latur citizens faced three years ago.
In a replay of Latur, Manmad gets water once in three weeks
Manmad gets water from Palkhed dam, which has almost dried up
NASHIK: Water has become so scarce in Manmad, the third largest urban pocket in Nashik district, that its residents are comparing their plight to what Latur citizens faced three years ago.
At present, the 1.30 lakh residents of Manmad town are getting water once every three weeks. When Latur faced a similar plight three years ago, the Maharashtra government had provisioned special water trains to bring water to Latur from Sangli in western Maharashtra.

The Manmad Municipal Council (MMC) has been forced to drastically slash the water supply after the stock in its reservoirs plunged alarmingly. The residents are now worried about more water cuts if the monsoon is delayed.
Located about 88 km from Nashik city, this town is an important commercial hub in the state. It houses the depots of the three state-owned oil companies. It also has one of the biggest godowns of the Food Corporation of India and a railway workshop. This makes Manmad station a key junction under the Central Railway network.
MMC's chief officer Dilip Menkar said the council had regulated the supply following severe drinking water shortage. "It is supplying water by rotation to each area of the city on a daily basis," he added.
In a replay of Latur, Manmad gets water once in 3 weeks
Although Manmad’s daily water requirement is 1.41crore litres, the council is supplying a much lower quantity. Manmad gets water from Palkhed dam, which initially flows to Waghdardi dam.

“One should come and stay in Manmad to experience how tough life is for residents here. The water we store in overhead tanks get exhausted within a week or so. Those who can afford it, hire tankers at hefty prices or buy water jars from the market,” said Rekha Anare, a housewife.
Things are so grim on the water front that last week an aggrieved resident wrote to the local police station alleging that miscreants had pilfered 300 litres of water from the overhead tank at his residence.
Sources in the civic body said the water supply infrastructure has become creaky and a large amount of water is lost to leakage. “Manmad falls in the rainshadow region. Over the years, there have been no efforts to establish a proper water storage system,” said a council functionary.
There are hundreds of borewells that the residents use to meet their water needs. Even these borewells have gone dry as the groundwater levels have depleted.
Former president of Save Manmad Action Committee (SMAC), Ashok Pardesi, recalled that there was a time in 2013 when residents used to get water after 58 days due to scarcity. “We could be heading that way again if the monsoon is delayed. Not just leakages, but even pilferage of water takes place when it is released from Palkhed dam. None of the city’s politicians are serious in resolving the issue. The water scenario in Manmad is as acute as in Latur,” he said.
In 2013, SMAC filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court on the issue. The state government then formed a panel that studied the problems and came up with remedial measures.
“A proposal to the tune of Rs 297 crore has been sent to the state government recently for its approval to overhaul the entire water supply system in the city,” said the civic body’s chief officer.
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