Besa areas face water woes due to unplanned growth

Nagpur: Amid intense heat, residents of areas along the Besa-Pipla road are facing a water crisis. There is no water scarcity, say civic officials while stressing that the problem has arisen due to erratic urban planning during the early expansion phase of these areas.The areas, which come under the Besa-Pipla Nagar Panchayat, have many residential complexes that were sanctioned nearly five to six years ago when the governance was with a gram panchayat. Land transactions and development permissions then allegedly lacked long-term planning and infrastructure foresight. Plots were sold and construction permissions granted without adequately assessing future requirements for roads, water pipelines, electricity distribution and civic utilities, said sources.The effects of this fragmented growth are now surfacing as authorities attempt to develop infrastructure around already existing structures. Over the last two years, officials have struggled to construct roads and utility networks on the narrow spaces between buildings.Recently, residents of a housing society reportedly experienced inconvenience as water supply from an overhead tank was disrupted. Sources said multiple residential complexes rely on connections branching from a common main pipeline, creating distribution issues due to the poorly planned network.Besa-Pipla's Public Works Committee chairman Mukesh Kale said, "Technically, a 90mm line cannot be connected directly to a 140mm main water pipeline. A sub-line or outlet mechanism has to be created for proper distribution. However, several societies formed when the areas was under gram panchayat got direct connections without following the system," he said.Kale explained that many of these layouts developed before the formation of the Nagar Panchayat lack basic distribution mechanisms such as valves, making controlled supply difficult. "Unlike Nagpur city, where NMC has a structured water distribution system with regulation points, we do not have that infrastructure here," he said.Acknowledging the problem, Kale said discussions have begun with local builders to find immediate and long-term solutions. He cited an example of a housing society that had been facing severe water shortages for the past two weeks and was eventually provided a separate connection from the main overhead water tank through a project costing around Rs8 lakh.Kale said he has proposed to builders to allocate around 10,000 sq ft space within their townships where dedicated water tanks could be constructed exclusively for residents. "Talks are underway," he said.