The Ahilyanagar water crisis has intensified, with 155 tankers supplying drinking water to about 300,000 people across 152 villages and 878 hamlets in nine talukas, according to a report by Sakal. The emergency has emerged before the end of the monsoon season after a prolonged break in rainfall and rising October temperatures.
Pathardi taluka, part of the district’s drought-prone belt, has the largest tanker operation. The report said 69 tankers are supplying water to 56 villages and about 127,000 residents in the taluka. Karjat follows with 21 tankers serving 25 villages and approximately 42,000 people, while Shevgaon has 20 tankers supplying 28 villages and around 45,000 residents.
In Nagar taluka, 19 tankers are operating across 19 villages and supplying nearly 43,000 people. Tanker services are also active in Jamkhed, Sangamner, Parner, Shrigonda and Nevasa talukas, with eight, seven, five, four and two tankers respectively, the report said.
The district’s water stress follows a weak and uneven monsoon. Sakal reported that, apart from the higher-elevation area of Akole, no part of the district received rainfall substantial enough to generate flowing water. A prolonged dry spell has also severely affected agriculture, with nearly 95% of kharif crops reported to have been damaged.
The district administration’s tanker response is therefore serving two immediate needs: maintaining drinking-water access in settlements where local sources have weakened, and extending supply to dispersed hamlets that may not be covered by village-level distribution systems. The scale of the operation shows how drought conditions can quickly become a logistics and governance challenge, requiring water to be moved repeatedly across a large rural settlement network.
The report identified Ahilyanagar, Pathardi, Shevgaon and Karjat as the talukas experiencing the most intense water shortages. These areas are also among the district’s drought-prone zones, making the availability and reliability of local water sources especially important when rainfall is delayed or uneven.
The state government has declared drought across all 14 talukas of Ahilyanagar district, according to the report. However, the current tanker supply is operating in nine talukas, indicating that the immediate drinking-water response is being concentrated in areas where shortages have already reached critical levels.
Rainfall figures cited in the report show that the district received 299 millimetres between June and September against an average of 448 millimetres, representing 66.7% of the average. September was particularly deficient: the district recorded 45 millimetres against an average of 147 millimetres, or 30.6% of the average.
The district’s next official task is to continue tanker-based drinking-water supply in the affected villages and hamlets while monitoring the availability of local sources. The scale of the response will depend on whether water availability improves and how long existing sources can support communities during the continuing dry period.
