Tribals in Bordhapada walk 2 km to fetch water, parts of Maharashtra face crisis

As parts of Maharashtra reel under intense heatwave conditions, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for people to have access to adequate water supply. In many villages, people have to walk their way down to the wells for kilometers to fetch water from wells and other water bodies. Tribal people of Bordhapada village in Nashik are walking 2 km to fetch water from a well, amid a water crisis in the area. 

The wells in the village have gone dry and thus the villagers have to walk and get the water from a place down the hill, said one of the villagers, "There are 2 wells in our village but they have dried up so we have to fetch water from the bottom of the hill which is 2 km away. She further demanded to the government water should be made available to the village and also stated how people walking down the hill to fetch water also get injured, “Many women suffer injuries while going there. We demand the administration to give us water facility as soon as possible," said a tribal woman. 

Maharashtra | Tribal people of Bordhapada village in Nashik are walking 2 km to fetch water from a well, amid a water crisis in the area.

"There are 2 wells in our village but they have dried up so we have to fetch water from the bottom of the hill which is 2 km away. Many… pic.twitter.com/1zYc9nlhES

— ANI (@ANI)

Demand for water tanker rises

As the water crisis intensifies the demand for water tankers has increased in many areas of Nashik. As the groundwater levels go down, water availability also sees a corresponding decrease in wells, lakes, and other water bodies. To combat the depletion of water levels, the administration initially orders the investigation of water pipelines, rejuvenation of sources, and even reviving the wells, etc. It is only when such steps are found not enough in reinstating the water availability that the administration sanctions the tankers for villages.      

The Raigad district in Maharashtra is also currently facing an acute water shortage with only 35 per cent of water stock left in the dams across Raigad. A total of 35 villages and 113 wadis (settlements) are under severe stress from lack of water availability.