Maharashtra child rights commission summons Thane district officials over Dapurmal water crisis after TOI report

Thane: The Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) has taken suo motu cognisance of a TOI report highlighting the acute drinking water crisis in Dapurmal, a remote tribal hamlet in Shahapur taluka, and summoned senior Thane district administration officials for a quasi-judicial hearing on June 9.

The commission’s intervention follows TOI’s May 11 report, ‘Adivasi Women & Girls Trek 4 Hrs for Water 120 km from Mumbai,’ which documented how tribal women and children spend hours every day navigating steep and rocky terrain to fetch drinking water despite living close to the Upper Vaitarna dam.

Taking serious note of the report, the commission observed that girls as young as six to eight years are forced to carry water-filled pots over long distances, exposing them to health and safety risks while adversely affecting their education and overall development. It said the situation prima facie amounts to a violation of child rights and may also be inconsistent with provisions of the Right to Education Act, 2009.

The commission also expressed concern over the practice of making young children carry heavy water containers using a traditional cloth ring, or “munda”, placed on their heads.

Significantly, the TOI report has already triggered action on the ground. Several NGOs have stepped forward and, in coordination with the Thane district administration, initiated work on construction of road on a hilly stretch to the hamlet. Construction activity has begun on the difficult hilly stretch used by villagers to reach water sources and nearby settlements. Officials and activists hope the improved road connectivity will ease the hardships faced by tribal families and facilitate the delivery of essential services, including water in the future.

The commission has directed officials from the Thane district administration, zilla parishad, water resources department, tribal development department and local authorities to appear before it with detailed action-taken reports and a permanent solution plan for the water crisis. It has warned that failure to comply with the notice could invite administrative and legal action under the relevant provisions of the law.