Fetching third pot of water? Be prepared to pay ₹100 fine

In Parsul village (Khed tehsil) located 71 kilometres from Pune, anyone collecting more than two pots of water from the local well has to cough up a fine of ₹100. Reason being the village is reportedly facing a severe water crisis and for the past two months, villagers have been struggling to fetch water from a deep well – one of only two wells in the village, with water from one being used for domestic purposes and water from the other for drinking purposes.

As luck would have it, the stock of water in the drinking water well has decreased drastically, that too at the beginning of summer. So much so that villagers keep watch on the drinking water well from 7 am to 10 pm to ensure that no one violates the restrictions. What’s more, villagers are forced to travel long distances in search of water as Parsul has not received proper water supply despite the government’s ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’. The Gram Panchayat has started working on measures to avoid a drought-like situation in the village.

Sarika Balasaheb Shinde, deputy Sarpanch of Parsul, said that the village has a shortage of both drinking and domestic water. “The ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ work has been moving at a snail’s pace due to which we have had to take such steps. However, the government has speeded up the work,” she said.

Shinde said that the villagers have to take their cattle almost one kilometre away daily for drinking water. “The villagers have agreed to be fined to avoid wastage of water. This will bring discipline amongst the villagers and make them use water judiciously. The village has a shortage of water and the water storage in the well has already depleted,” she said.

Suresh Ghanwat, Gramsevak, Parsul Gram Panchayat, said that the water in the drinking water well has depleted due to which the villagers have taken this step. “The village has over 35 families living in these areas, and most of the villagers are settled outside the village. The Gram Panchayat has conducted a survey and inspection of the wells in the village. Measures are being taken to avoid water shortage in this area,” he said.