Water scarcity grips Sangli

SANGLI: Acute shortage of drinking water and fodder is turning out to be a major problem in Sangli district, whose 218 villages and 599 hamlets totally depend on water supplied by tankers.
Adding to the woes is the delay in the monsoon.
Villages from all the 10 talukas in the district, including Jat, Miraj, Tasgaon, Atpadi and Shirala, are supplied water by a fleet of 246 tankers.
The state government had prepared a Rs 4.54-crore action plan for January to March 2003. Later, another action plan with a provision of Rs 5.6 crore was prepared for April to June. Presently, various schemes are being executed under this plan.
Sangli district collector Manisha Mhaiskar said that, at present, 156 projects are under way in the district under the employment guarantee scheme. Over 8,000 people have been working in these projects.
The administration has taken over 319 private wells in the district to supply water to worst-affected areas. Desilting operations have also been launched at various lakes in the district.
The district administration has also taken steps to open cattle camps, with the government offering a grant of Rs 600 per animal.