Crisis looming over Nashik? Only 17 per cent water left in reservoir

Reservoirs in Maharashtra's Nashik district have only 17 per cent water stock of their total storage capacity as of now, almost nine per cent less compared to last year, officials said on Tuesday.

The district administration has deployed over 250 tankers to meet the demand of drinking water across the district, specially in rural areas, they said.

State water resources minister Girish Mahajan, who is also the district's guardian minister, visited some drought- hit areas in Sinnar tehsil on Monday to review the situation.

He said there was a need to use tankers for water supply and to start fodder camps for cattle.

The district has around 24 dams, of which six have dried up due to deficient rainfall last monsoon, an official in the irrigation department said.

"Water shortage is being felt in the first week of May as only 17 per cent stock is remaining in the reservoirs, nearly nine per cent less against last year," he said.

The stock in Gangapur dam, one of the main sources of drinking water supply to the city, has also dipped considerably, he said.

Nearly 263 tankers have been deployed to supply drinking water to 200 villages and 679 hamlets in the district, an official at the collectorate said.

"The situation is likely to remain grim till July and if the monsoon gets delayed, water woes would increase further," he said.

The Nashik Municipal Corporation has urged citizens to use water carefully and warned of stern action against those found wasting it, a civic official said.

In some tribal areas of Trimbakeshwar taluka where wells have dried up, the district administration has been ensuring additional water supply to ease the situation, another official said.