The district administration, Zilla Panchayat and District Urban Development Cell (DUDC) have been gearing up to deal with the likely drinking water crisis in Yadgir district during the summer.
Deputy Commissioner Harshal Bhoyar, Zilla Panchayat CEO Lavish Ordia and DUDC Project Director Laxmikanth Reddy said at a joint press conference in Yadgir on Thursday that people in rural and urban areas may face drinking water problems during April and May.
However, necessary steps have been taken to address the drinking water crisis as a top priority, they said.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the three main reservoirs, Basavasagar in Narayanpur, Sannati in Sannati village and Gurusanagi near Yadgir town, have enough water to meet the drinking water demand in summer.
However, measures have been taken for the proper use of water considering various aspects including natural evaporation. The officers have been asked to be ready to take necessary steps to quickly provide drinking water in case of any shortage.
“Basavasagar tank, where the total storage level is 492.25m, has water storage up to 491.15m, followed by Sannati (total storage 376m, current storage 373.90m) and Gurusanagi, which has a total storage level of 359m and current storage of 3m57. have been directed to use water properly without wasting it for any reason,” said Mr. Bhoyar.
Mr Ordia said a total of 65 villages across the district had been identified as problematic. Officers were directed to take immediate measures to flush and deepen wells as required and also hire private wells in case of emergency. He added that out of 65 villages, 16 municipalities are facing a crisis in March itself. And it is likely that 25 villages may face water shortage in April while 24 villages may be affected in May.
Helpline numbers in each taluk panchayat as well as the district headquarters have been made available to the public to attend calls related to drinking water shortage, he said, adding that nodal officers have been appointed to oversee the process and take immediate measures for drinking water supply.
Comparing last year’s figures, the ZP CEO said, “Last year, we identified 91 villages as problem areas, two of which, Yampad and Yaktapur, were facing acute water problems. The crisis in these two villages was accompanied by the laying of ₹65,000 pipes under the KKRDB grant.”
The Zilla Panchayat pays more attention to the supply of potable drinking water by testing the water before supply. Examination of water samples is done in three stages at gram panchayat level, rural water supply department and primary health center of health department. Last year, 23,310 tests were carried out, of which 127 samples were contaminated. So the Zilla Panchayat has blocked such water sources and prevented people from using the water for drinking purposes, Mr. Ordia said, adding that a microbiological testing laboratory has been set up in Yadgir town at a cost of ₹50 lakh to test the water.
He also said that reverse osmosis plants (ROP) are helping to supply potable water. A total of 417 ROPs are coming up under Zilla Panchayat. Of these, 252 are operational and the rest (219 ROPs) are under repair. Subsidies for the repair of 92 ROPs have already been released and a proposal to carry out repairs on the remaining ones has been sent to the state government.
Mr. Ordia said all taluk panchayat executive officers, panchayat development officers and gram panchayat have been directed to clean the upper tanks once in 15 days. They have also been asked to use bleaching powder around the working boreholes and send GPS photographs to the Zilla Panchayat to ensure that water storage sites are kept clean.
ZP CEO said that a major drinking water project under Jaladhar has been started at a cost of ₹1,605.18 crore. 696 dwellings and three urban local bodies, Kakkera, Kembhavi and Hunsagi will get drinking water under the project as 60% of the physical work has been completed. Balance work will be completed next year.
Government schools, anganwadis and other educational institutions have been provided drinking water under Jal Jeevan Mission. GESCOM officials have been asked to ensure power supply to the pumping sets so that the authorities can supply drinking water without interruption, he said.
Mr. Laxmikanth Reddy said that a major drinking water work which supplies drinking water from Bhima to Yadgir town under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0 (AMRUT 2.0) has been set up at a cost of ₹ 300 crore. It will be completed soon.
He added that land issues and the process of getting permission from the Ministry of Railways and National Highways are causing delays in the implementation of the project.
The deputy commissioner said that there is no shortage of funds for drinking water purposes. He said that an amount of ₹ 13 crore is available in the PD account.
He added that the area has a sufficient amount of feed, as the existing stock can be used for 58 weeks.
The Deputy Commissioner said that there is no shortage in the domestic stock of pressure cylinders. Commercial bottling has been completely stopped and police officers have been asked to make surprise visits to business premises to prevent them from using domestic bottles for commercial purposes.
The general public can call the tahsildars of the respective taluks and also the deputy director of food and civil supplies on 08473-253707 for any problem in home supply, he said.
Published – 12 March 2026 19:33 IST
