JJM: 100% taps but without water
Water is missing in 100% FHTC reported villages in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra
The failed monsoon of 2023 has caused groundwater levels to reach their lowest point in the region and highlighted the need for sustainable water sources. As of March 22nd 2024, 220 villages in the district depend on tanker water supply, up from 90 villages in November 2023. From the latest list, 87 villages had reported¹ having 100% Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
District Planning under JJM
The planning trend of the district is the same as that of Maharashtra, where 80% of the schemes in the state are single village schemes (SVS) and are groundwater based.
As per interaction with the technical support agency-WAPCOS, 1295 water supply schemes have been planned and being implemented. Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) is implementing 27 schemes of the total planned. Majority of the water supply schemes (97%) are ground water based SVS.
Four of nine blocks, Gangapur, Vaijapur, Paithan and Sillod, in which the grid water supply systems are being implemented and the work is expected to be completed in December 2024. Paithan, Vaijapur and Gangapur will get water from Jayakwadi dam and Sillod grid will get water from Khadakpurna dam. As of date, they are categorised in retrofitted SVS. Currently, 62 of the 87 tanker supply as well as 100% FHTC reported villages are from these four blocks.
Groundwater based schemes bound to slip-back?
Many studies since 2010 have shown that drying up of the source is the one of the main reasons for the slip-back of the single village schemes. Unregulated nature of the groundwater resource makes it uncertain during lean periods such as this year. Between 2019–2022, the region received good rainfall. However, during the last monsoon, Marathwada experienced 50 days without rainfall. This has resulted in the low groundwater recharge and eventual slip-back of the dependent schemes.
As per report of Central Ground Water Board (2019), around 16,737 dugwells and 324 borewells are irrigating 25,539 ha of land in the district. Net Annual groundwater available to the district is around 1062.19 MCM (million cubic meters) and of which 75% is utilised by all the sectors. Projected demand of Domestic and industry is around 64 MCM. Report also mentions the declining water level trend in southern (Paithan and Gangapur) , south western (Vaijapur) and central parts (Aurangbad and Khuldabad) of the district and about 75% of the area of the district is having low groundwater yield potential.
The sustainable water from both Jayakwadi and Khadakpurna dams is also not guaranteed. Water sharing conflicts with upstream region and failed monsoon has made Jayakwadi dam reach dead storage at least 10 times in the past. Khadakpurna has also gone dry in the past.
It is unfortunate that these reports and warnings fail to result in comprehensive planning for the rural drinking water sector. The very nature of current water governance in the state will not be able to ensure the water for public water supply schemes during crisis years.
Syncing the efforts
Infrastructure creation is one of the many factors in sustainable water access for all. Syncing conservation, maintenance and governance of water resources are other factors that will help overall water availability for rural water supply schemes. Rural drinking water supply is much more than just ‘targets’.
Various water conservation efforts, groundwater recharge and water reuse initiatives happen in a siloed manner. The insufficient maintenance of water structures worsens the water crisis and obstructs water conservation efforts. Effective water governance needs to reflect at every level of government and society alike to regulate usage and promote sustainable use practices across all sectors.
Few good rainfall years puts us in a state of amnesia and the larger objective of sustainable water resources takes a back seat. These years of scarcity serve as an eye-opener, but they come at the cost of increased hardship for the most vulnerable rural populations.
References
- ‘Reported’ means water supply department of State/ UT has confirmed that water is being supplied through taps to all households, schools and Anganwadi Centers in that administrative unit (JJM Dashboard).
2. Data on tanker water supply. Zilla Parishad Aurangabad. 22 March 2024
3. 1,265 villages will get drinking water throughout the year
4. Aquifer Maps and Ground Water Management Plan, Aurangabad District-2019
5. Ground Water Information Aurangabad District Maharashtra.2013 https://cgwb.gov.in/old_website/District_Profile/Maharashtra/Aurangabad.pdf
6. Jayakwadi not worth a dam in Marathwada | Mumbai news — Hindustan Times
8. TISS KRC Study Report Status of Water Supply in Maharashtra
10. Yusuf Kabir (UNICEF) on water crisis of Maharashtra. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/yusuf-kabir-937791aa_the-water-crisis-in-maharashtra-has-reached-activity-7177516869745057792-0-8u?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
