Maharashtra: Water woes continue to haunt residents of Melghat, adjoining areas in Amravati
May 28, 2020
Amravati (Maharashtra) [India], May 28 : Villagers in Melghat and adjoining areas in Amravati district of Maharashtra are facing hardships due to acute water shortage in the region. They are forced to walk for miles on a daily basis, on rocky terrain threatening their safety, to meet their daily requirement.
The only source of water in this region is a single well, which caters to the needs of nearby villagers. However, the problem gets even bigger as apart from the water being unhealthy and polluted, the villagers also have to walk for miles to fetch it.
Narrating her woes, Shanti Chimote, a resident of Ekjhira village in Chikhaldara, told ANI: "We have to make trips to the well thrice in a day. Even then we do not get enough water to meet our daily requirements. Climbing up and down in this rocky terrain is very risky. There is a risk of somebody breaking his limbs during every trip on these rocks."
"Even then the water which we get from here is polluted and unhealthy. The elders of the village, who live alone, are especially troubled by this as it is really difficult for them to fetch water from this well on their own," she added.
The young girls, who are sent to fetch water for their family every day, said that they were troubled by the rocky terrain and also the polluted water, which leads to health problems.
"Fetching water here is very difficult due to the risk of hurting oneself on these rocks. Even then we keep falling sick due to the polluted water. Almost our whole day goes in fetching water for our family," said Poonam.
The elders of the village who have been living in the area for ages alleged the crisis has kept on troubling them for many years and urge the government to provide them with immediate reliefs.
"Our life is coming to an end but the water crisis in this area has not been resolved yet. A water storage tank had been built in the village but not a single drop of water came in it," bemoaned Ramlal Dhande, an elder from the village.
"The women of the village take two-three utensils filled with water on their heads and climb up this rocky terrain at least two times every day. They are risking their lives every time they come here. We want the government to provide us with a source of water immediately," added Dhande.
It is important to note that two dams -- Shahannor and Chandrabhaga -- have been constructed within kilometres from Ekjhira village to supply water to Amravati and Akola cities, but the woes of the villagers remain unaddressed.
