Crisis-hit Latur helps itself, revives Manjara, Rena rivers

This city of Latur had been severely hit by water crises, but now it has completely changed its fate through public participation. People of the city — from safai workers to students, professionals and traders — have contributed over Rs 6 crore towards the desilting of the Manjara and Rena rivers, transforming them into reservoirs that, according to the collector, will resolve the drinking water problem for eight months straight.

Latur made national news when it was decided to provide drinking water to this water-starved city via railway wagons. “Jaldoot” aka drinking water carrying railway wagons, were started in the second week of April and completed almost 24 ferries, each carrying 50,000 litres of water from Miraj in Sangli district to Latur, which is a distance of about 342km.

However, while the state government and district administration were busy supplying water from the river Krishna, residents of Latur decided to take matters in their own hands by reviving the Manjara and Rena rivers, which are a source of water to Latur and surrounding villages. A Jalyukta Latur Samiti was formed and a committee of five well-known social activists (Dr Ashok Kukade, B. Thombare, Makrand Jadhav, advocate Manohar Gomar and Trimbakdas Zawar) was registered with the charity commissioner to lend legitimacy to the initiative. “We called a meeting of all major associations related to professionals and traders, convinced them about public participation in the issue, registered our committee with the charity commissioner, and started collecting funds,” recalled Mr Zawar.

He said that actor Riteish Deshmukh, Congress MLA Amit Deshmukh, and the BJP contributed Rs 25 lakh each; the Doctors’ Association and Capgemini contributed Rs 40 lakh each from their Corporate Social Responsibility fund; while the Agriculture Produce Market Committee and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s Jankalyan Samiti contributed Rs 11 lakh each. In this manner, they collected more than Rs 1.60 crore from major players. Thereafter, they appealed to the common people to contribute in whatever way they could. School students, teachers, professors, lawyers and several others contributed. Even youths who sold their products on footpaths contributed Rs 1 lakh. While a safai employee who retired from the municipal council contributed his first pension of Rs 18,000 toward the work; according to Mr Zawar. The cost of desilting of the rivers was an estimated Rs 7.5 crore.

Today, the Manjara river is full of water up to a length of 15.5km while the Rena is full up to a length of 6km. Collector Pandurang Pol said the government took up where the local committee stopped their work and spent some amount from the Jalyukta Shivar scheme on desilting of the Manjara river.

Doffing his hat to public participation, Mr Pol said, “We hope that at least for the next eight months, the rivers will provide sufficient drinking water to the city and its surrounding areas.”