With temperature soaring, residents of several villages in Belagavi district are suffering from severe water scarcity. The district administration has decided to provide drinking water to villages and hamlets through tankers.
At a District Disaster Management Authority meeting here on Tuesday, senior officers directed taluk and village level officials to initiate several measures to ensure water conservation and water supply.
Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil asked officers to ensure that farmers or others are not drawing water from the riverbed in an unauthorised manner. He asked them to inspect riverbeds and seize pumpsets that are in use against the rules.
“We have received several complaints about unauthorized use of water in the Krishna river and lakes through pumpsets. They should be detected immediately and legal action should be taken against violators. If needed, the officers should seek the help of the Police Department and the place should be cleared of pumpsets immediately,” he said.
He asked revenue and panchayat raj officials to work in tandem and ensure that water is supplied through tankers in places where there is scarcity and no reliable source of water nearby.
“We have received grievances about water scarcity in several villages in Athani and Kagavad taluks. Tankers should be provided in such and other water stressed places,” he said.
He told tahsildars to make payment only through the tanker management software. He directed all tahsildars to ensure that residents do not suffer from drinking water scarcity and that the distribution of fodder for cattle is smooth.
He said that HESCOM officials have told him that with the available power, it is possible to supply three phase power only for four hours a day for four days a week. He said that HESCOM officials have been told to supply three phase power for 10 days.
He said that the situation will be reviewed after 10 days as Maharashtra is likely to release water by then. Officers have been told to supply fodder to cattle at a subsidised rate of ₹2 per kg of fodder.
In some taluks like Athani and Chikkodi, fodder is being supplied through tenders.
Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Rahul Shinde said that water should be used wisely and wastage should be avoided.
