Last water train from Miraj to Latur today

KOLHAPUR: The train supplying water from Miraj to Latur will have its last run on Monday.
The train run jointly by Indian Railways and state government would fill up 50 wagons with water from Miraj junction and carry it 340-km away to Latur city. There, the water would be collected in a farmer's well located near railway tracks, to be carried further into the city.
It would take nearly 14 hours to fill the entire train, named as Jaldoot, carrying 25 lakh litres of water at Miraj. Since its first trip on April 11, the train has made 106 ferries till now to the parched city.
On August 1, the Latur Municipal Corporation re-activated its regular water supply system. The civic body had stopped water supply through taps in February 2016, after its reservoirs ran dry.
The city's requirement is 60 MLD (million litre a day) and the Latur civic body accounts for 10 water reservoirs with varying capacity and load, while it has 48,000 domestic water supply connections on record.
Latur collector Pandurang Pole said, "I have received an official communication from Latur Municipal Corporation to stop the water supply through the train. The two weirs - Sai and Nagzari - that supply water to Latur city are filled to capacity. It would be sufficient for six months at least. Hence, we have communicated to the state that the water train should be discontinued."
He has written to the state government and the Central Railways to discontinue the water train services.
Miraj-based officials said it was a challenge worth taking as the pipeline passed beneath the railway tracks and highways and the work had to be completed without obstructing any vehicular or rail movement. Miraj junction is one the busiest railway routes in the state, where more than 130 trains pass through in 24 hours. The pipeline from Krishna river transported water to Miraj station, where wagons of the water train were filled.
Officials said the jackwell of railways located by the Krishna river bank was used, with a 300mm pipeline running along a length of 3.5 km (approximately). Additional machinery was installed to pump water from the jackwell to be stored in the Hyder well, which has a capacity of 32 lakh litre. Since the Hyder well had not been used recently, it was thoroughly cleaned before being used to fill the wagons.
According to railway officials, the water train from Miraj to Latur is the first in India to have covered a distance of 342 km and supplied drinking water to a parched area.
Latur has been reeling under severe drought for three consecutive years. Residents were getting drinking water through tankers for a long time and were dependent on the water train from Miraj.