NASHIK: Even after the district has witnessed heavy rains in the past month, Lasalgaon still gets water supply once or twice a month. Also, the water supplied is contaminated and insufficient for the villagers. Therefore, Shiv Sena representatives met Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharati Pawar and spoke of the plight of residents.
Dr Pawar stated she will prioritise the Lasalgaon water crisis issue and direct the concerned officials to supply clean water regularly for the residents.
Shiv Sena’s taluka chief Prakash Patil, former chairman of Yeola Panchayat Samiti Praveen Gaikwad, social activist Vikas Kolhe, onion trader Praveen Kadam and others met Dr Pawar and expressed their views on the Lasalgaon water issue.
Even in the rainy season, the villagers are suffering from water scarcity. They need to wait for a month for water supply, and after waiting for so long, all they receive is contaminated, muddy water. The degraded water quality is posing a threat to villagers’ health. Several children and elderly are already suffering from various ailments in the village. The villagers have conducted protests, agitation, and ‘Rasta Roko’ several times for their rights but to no avail.
Villagers from 16 villages, including Lasalgaon Vinchur, were supplied water through a common water supply scheme. However, the supply has been interrupted, and the water quality has degraded severely.
Many times the power supply has been interrupted, and sometimes, the power pump has malfunctioned. The dam’s gates remain open, so there’s no water stock in the dam. Lasalgaon consists of daily wage earners including government employees. These residents can’t purchase water every day. They struggle daily due to water scarcity.
Shiv Sena’s representatives also took continuous follow-ups with the then Guardian Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. To take immediate measures against water shortage, Bhujbal had ordered to resolve the issue by holding a meeting on April 26, 2022, in Nashik.
The water supply scheme of Lasalgaon and sixteen villages was amended in presence of various dignitaries. The officials had even approved spending money for pipeline repair from the 15th Finance Commission funds reserved for gram panchayats of the beneficiary villages. However, the villagers still await a clean drinking water supply.
