The Washim district administration has directed officials to prepare village-level plans to ensure drinking-water availability in rural areas during possible shortages, with private-well acquisition, tanker supply and pending electricity connections identified as immediate priorities.
District Collector Yogesh Kumbhejkar issued the directions during a review meeting on water scarcity in the district. He asked all concerned departments to coordinate and complete proposed works on time so that residents do not have to travel or wait extensively for drinking water.
The administration has made special arrangements for villages that could face shortages during October and November. Officials reviewed rural water-supply conditions and were instructed to identify villages where existing sources may not be sufficient. Depending on local requirements, the plan includes acquiring private wells and arranging water tankers.
The district’s response also includes longer-term measures intended to support water availability through the year. These include drilling new borewells, repairing piped water-supply schemes and hand pumps, deepening existing wells, and constructing horizontal borewells. Officials have been asked to prioritise works after assessing the availability of water sources and the needs of each village.
Pending electricity connections for water-supply schemes were another focus of the meeting. Kumbhejkar directed officers of the power distribution company to complete the connections urgently, as delays can prevent commissioned or repaired water infrastructure from being used. Villages where groundwater levels have declined or existing sources have failed are to be provided with alternative wells or borewells.
The administration has asked the departments involved in rural water supply to work together to make alternative sources available in potential shortage-hit villages within the required time. The meeting was attended by Chief Executive Officer Arpit Chauhan, Additional Collector Brijesh Patil, Resident Deputy Collector Vishwanath Ghuge, District Disaster Management Officer Shahu Bhagat and Rural Water Supply Department Executive Engineer Mahesh Kanherkar.
The plan places village-level assessment at the centre of the district’s response. Immediate arrangements such as tankers and private-well acquisition are being considered alongside repairs, new sources and electricity connections. The district administration’s next operational step is to identify the villages requiring intervention and complete the proposed works before the anticipated October-November shortage period.
