Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Nearly two lakh residents in the Satara-Deolai area continue to face severe water scarcity, with many depending entirely on water tankers for their daily needs. Residents have alleged that despite paying municipal taxes regularly, they are still deprived of basic water supply facilities.
At present, the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) operates around 80 to 90 tanker trips daily in the area. However, residents claim the supply is insufficient to meet the growing demand. Many families are also forced to purchase water from private tankers at high rates.
Residents said a 2,000-litre private tanker costs around Rs 600, while filling a 200-litre drum costs about Rs 260. With water needs increasing during summer, many households are spending significant amounts every month just to secure drinking and domestic water.
The area has around 28,000 properties, and locals claim crores of rupees are spent on water every year. Tanker supply usually begins after Diwali, while residents become almost completely dependent on tankers from January and February onwards.
This year, the situation has worsened as most borewells in the area have dried up due to intense heat. Residents allege that private tanker operators are taking advantage of the crisis by continuously increasing prices.
Satara-Deolai was brought under the municipal corporation limits in 2016 from the gram panchayat jurisdiction. At that time, the population was around 1.25 lakh. The population has grown significantly since then, but residents claim civic amenities have not improved accordingly.
Locals said the municipal corporation collects around Rs 18 to Rs 20 crore in taxes from the area and has also earned substantial revenue through Gunthewari regularisation. Despite this, they allege that basic facilities remain inadequate.
Under the new water supply scheme, pipelines have already been laid in the area. However, the regular water supply has not yet started. With borewells drying up, residents remain dependent on tanker water.
Residents and corporators from various political parties have demanded that the municipal corporation provide free tanker services until the new water supply system becomes operational. They have warned of major agitation if their demands are not addressed soon.
