Well full, taps dry: five tandas of Nagalgaon in Udgir taluka short of water

Udgir: A well dug in the village pond at Nagalgaon in Udgir taluka under the Centre's Jal Jeevan Mission has plenty of water, but residents of five of the village's tandas (hamlets) say they are going without because the network meant to carry it to their homes is still incomplete. They have demanded an inspection of the entire scheme.

Former sarpanch Rajiv Waghe said the pipeline and the overhead tank are unfinished and there are leaks, and alleged that the work has been held up by problems over payments to the contractor. Nagalgaon has eight tandas, and five of them, including Raghoba Tanda and Maruti Tanda, are facing difficulties; their populations range from 200 to 1,500. He added that road work for a highway may have damaged parts of the old pipeline.

A resident of Raghoba Tanda claimed that a storage tank was built and taps fitted in homes two to three years ago, but not a drop of water has come through them since. People living on higher ground have to carry water up from lower areas, which is especially hard on pregnant women, and a woman said families were buying water at ₹10 a pot.

Sources: The Tribune; Free Press Journal