PONDA: Houses in Ashewada and Talewada in Bethora Panchayat area have erected ‘identical walls of barrels’ on the narrow roads of the village, but this is not a show of assets.
Thanks to the irregular water supply by the Public Works Department, people are forced to store water in big barrels outside their houses.
Residents have been facing water shortages forcing them to wait for water with empty barrels and utensils by the roadside here. Though water is supplied by tankers in Muslimwada and Varchawada areas on odd days, there is no guarantee of regular supply.
Ashewada and Talewada are dependent on water tanks at the Bethora Industrial Estate. Since there is only one old pump, water cannot be pumped to both the areas on one given day and hence, people get water on alternate days. The situation at Muslimwada, Varchawada is worse as it is at a higher altitude, and does not get water through PWD pipeline. People are solely dependent on tankers for water supply. This area is mostly populated by migrant labourers. As every house owner rented out rooms to migrant workers and has increased the demand for water.
The Opa water treatment plant is close to Bethora, but there has been no respite for now. Sarpanch Umesh Gaude has been continuously following the water scarcity matter with PWD for quite some time now, and is expecting a positive outcome very soon.
