Nagpur: With Nagpur district facing a rainfall deficit and reservoirs witnessing a sharp decline in storage, guardian secretary and additional chief secretary (UDD) Aseem Kumar Gupta on Thursday directed Water Resources Department (WRD) to study the city’s 2019 water crisis and draw lessons to formulate a long-term strategy to tackle the current drought-like situation. He stressed the need for effective water management, development of alternative sources and coordinated action by all departments to prevent a recurrence of such a crisis.
Chairing a review meeting at Niyojan Bhavan, Gupta asked WRD officials to examine the circumstances that led to the 2019 crisis and correlate them with the rainfall deficit in 2026.
He said the administration must focus on long-term and micro-level planning rather than relying on temporary measures to address recurring summer water shortages. Gupta directed officials to conduct field visits, identify old and unused wells, revive them and ensure that leakages in water supply networks are promptly repaired. He also stressed public awareness about water conservation and asked the administration to ensure that residents receive at least the minimum required quantity of drinking water.