Maha: Industrial area in Aurangabad faces water shortage

Industries in Aurangabad are facing a water crunch, as 3 million liters of water per day is being diverted to the city from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area, stakeholders claimed on Saturday. The Marathwada Association for Small Scale Industries and Agriculture (MASIA) wrote to MIDC officials about the scarcity last week and is yet to receive a reply from them, the president of the association Narayan Pawar said.

To address the issue of water shortage, the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation has taken steps to supply 3 million (MLD) of water to the city. The tanker filling point in the city was shifted to the MIDC area, and this has hit the supply in Chikalthana industrial area, the association and unitholders here have claimed.

Chikalthana MIDC comprises small and large scale industrial units and is located within the municipal corporation limits, an official said.

”Several industries in Chikalthana are not getting water and have to depend on tankers and water cans to provide drinking water for workers. We have written to the administration in this regard and awaiting their reply. We respect the need for drinking water, but laborers are also human beings,” Pawar said. This issue can hurt the industrial growth in the region, he added. One of the unitholders in Chikalthana, Manish Agrawal said the water supply has come down to three to four hours from earlier 10 to 12 hours. Meanwhile, a senior official from MIDC said, ”As the drinking water issue has become critical in the city, we have diverted water from the industrial area. The supply varies from 2 to 3 MLD. However, this arrangement will be in place only for a short while.”