Water provided through a tanker at Madarwadi village in Khuldabad taluka of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
From now until next June, tanker supply in scarcity-hit villages will be calculated on a strict formula: 20 litres per person per day. “Tanker requirement of a village or hamlet will no longer be sanctioned on mere demand, but will be calculated on actual population at the rate of 20 litres per capita per day. The administration said the 20-litre norm has been fixed in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for crisis situations, covering basic drinking and hygiene needs. Senior officers will conduct surprise inspections of at least 5% of operating tankers.
Stay updated with the latest Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar news.
Separate provision will be made for livestock needs,” said district collector Vinay Gowda G C. It will have to be verified by the village-level committee at the time of delivery,” Gowda said. Regular testing of water quality and cleaning and disinfection of public distribution tanks has also been mandated,” the collector said. Officials said any bogus entries, fake trips or violations will invite action under the Disaster Management Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : As drought tightens its grip, the district administration has put an end to tanker allocations based on demand alone. The move is part of a new standard operating procedure (SOP) framed by the district administration to ensure that every drop is accounted for and every tanker trip can be tracked. The new system seeks to tackle a recurring problem during drought years: inflated demands, disputes over tanker allocation and complaints of irregular supply. Villages seeking tanker supply will now have to prove that their drinking water sources have run dry. Gram panchayats must pass a gram sabha resolution and submit a joint report by the gramsevak and revenue official certifying that existing sources are inadequate. Only then will tankers be sanctioned. To prevent leakages and bogus trips, GPS tracking has been made mandatory for all govt and private tankers supplying water. “Every trip will be digitally logged, including quantity filled, source, distance travelled and delivery point. Tanker bills will be cleared only after GPS records are matched with actual supply on the ground. The administration has also decided to verify water sources before approving them for tanker filling. “The source-to-village distance will be fixed through GPS or Google Maps to avoid inflated transport bills. To keep the system under watch, a district-level monitoring committee headed by the additional collector has been formed. Download the TOI App.