Nagpur: Warning of severe water scarcity in the coming months, minister of state for agriculture Ashish Jaiswal on Saturday said water conserved in Pench project over the past five years was now being used to meet demand.“We had decided to save water every year for emergencies. The decision is now proving crucial, as the water we are using and releasing into canals is what we saved over the last five years,” he said.Jaiswal, who also holds the relief and rehabilitation portfolio, was speaking at a review meeting on water scarcity in Parseoni.The Ramtek MLA warned that the crisis could worsen next year. “There is no guarantee that it will rain in June. We may face a difficult situation next year too, as the shortage could continue till Sept. Authorities are planning water tankers for every village and check dams to bridge the gap,” he said.“Drought hits once every 10 years, but the super El Niño has worsened the situation this time. With temperatures remaining high in Oct, winter could be shorter and summer harsher, aggravating water woes,” he said.He assured farmers that water would be released in stages. “If needed, we will release water from the Pench project. We have the lift irrigation scheme and have built the Khindsi canal at a cost of ₹486 crore. Some water will also have to be released into the river for the Kanhan and Kandri water schemes,” Jaiswal said.He said every village would be provided with a 5,000-litre water tanker, a motor pump and pipes. Funds would be earmarked from MLA Local Development Program (MLA LAD) and District Planning Committee’s corpus.“I have asked for a master list of all private tankers, trucks and other heavy machinery. Tanker rates will be fixed in advance through tenders at the district or taluka level. A borewell repair team must be ready in each of the 13 talukas for a quick response. Water from WCL mines and Mahagenco mines should be used to ease the shortage,” he added.The second pillar of the relief plan is the construction of 1,000 tarpaulin check dams. “These arrangements help slow runoff and collect water. We will provide the tarpaulins and make other arrangements. If villagers want to contribute, the gram panchayat can give its consent,” Jaiswal said.He warned that village water sources could run dry and said every gram panchayat must plan to recharge them. “My own well on my farm is just 100 metres from Khindsi Lake, but the motor does not run for even two hours. The entire well has gone dry,” he said.
