Water Crisis in Maharashtra’s Marathwada Region: A Daily Struggle for Survival
Marathwada’s Water Crisis: A Daily Struggle for Women and Children in Tapovan Village
In the drought-prone Marathwada region of Maharashtra, women and children of Tapovan village in Jalna district spend most of their days in a desperate search for drinking water. The village, tucked away in the interiors of Badnapur tehsil and located near the Jalna-Bhorkardan road, lacks natural water sources and relies on water tankers daily.
Over the past three months, the village’s groundwater sources have dried up, forcing the villagers to walk at least 2 to 4 km in search of drinking water in nearby areas. This grueling task often involves several trips in the blistering heat each day.
The district is facing an acute water shortage due to inadequate rainfall last monsoon season. A tanker supplies water for domestic use every day, but according to villager Amrapali Borde, the water has a yellowish tint and is unfit for drinking and cooking.
“We fetch potable water from water sources located in fields in other villages,” Borde said. However, they often face resistance from well owners who don’t allow them to draw water.
The water crisis is not limited to Tapovan. Nearby villages of Tapovan Tanda, Tupewadi, and Banegaon also depend on water tankers. As of April 30, 282 villages and 68 hamlets in Jalna depended on 419 tankers.
Chayabai Borde, another resident of Tapovan, shared her ordeal, “We walk around 2 km one way in search of drinking water. Sometimes, we make two to three trips as per requirement.” With schools closed for the summer holidays, children are now assisting women in their water hunt.
Banegaon serves as the nodal point for tankers to fill water for supply to Tupewadi, Dhamangaon, Tapovan, Garkheda, and other areas in nearly 25 km of its periphery. Ganesh Sasane, a tanker driver, ferries water to Tapovan from a well, which is 12 km away, every day. “I have to wait for an hour to fill my tanker. I make at least two trips to Tapovan, which has around 400 houses,” he said.
Village sarpanch Jyoti Jagdale told PTI, “There is no major water source like a river or irrigation project in the periphery of our village.” She mentioned that work for a pipeline is underway under the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme, offering a glimmer of hope to the villagers that they will get some relief once it is completed.
