Water scarcity claims of Oppn MLA partially true, admits Maharashtra govt

Mumbai, Jul 8 (PTI) The Maharashtra government on Wednesday admitted in the legislative assembly that a Congress MLA's claims about widespread water scarcity were partially true, and more than 1,200 villagers were being supplied tanker water as of June 22 this year. Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister Gulabrao Patil submitted a written reply to a starred question raised by Congress MLA Amit Deshmukh who said the scarcity was more widespread than what official figures show. The minister said the claim was "partially true". As per a report dated June 22, as many as 25 out of 36 districts in the state were facing water scarcity, with 1,279 villages and 3,389 hamlets receiving drinking water through 1,413 tankers, the reply stated. Notably, the onset of the monsoon was delayed this time, but many parts of the state have been receiving heavy rains since the beginning of July. Deshmukh had sought to know whether the weekly report of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department showed only 2,285 villages as scarcity-hit when the actual number was between 8,000 and 9,000. The minister said the government took multiple measures in 12,406 villages and hamlets affected by water scarcity, including requisitioning private wells, repairing water supply schemes and taps, and implementing other emergency arrangements to provide drinking water. The government had also directed officials managing dams to plan water utilisation efficiently until August 31, Patil said. PTI ND KRK