Jorgewar seeks CSR-funded check dams on Chandrapur streams to beat drought and summer water crisis

Deficient rainfall has created drought-like conditions in Chandrapur district. MLA Kishor Jorgewar has demanded that arrangements begin now so that there is no water shortage in the coming summer. In a letter to the Collector, he has said the water currently in the district's rivers, streams and rivulets should be held back and used to raise the groundwater level.

He has demanded that dams be built immediately using the CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds of WCL, Mahagenco, cement companies and other large industries.

Jorgewar wrote in the letter that this year's low rainfall has affected several sectors, including farming. With the rain having failed, farmers face a problem of irrigation. Industries too may later face difficulty in getting water. Some rivers, streams and rivulets still have water, but given rising temperatures and the lack of rain, these sources could dry up in the coming period. He said it is therefore essential to hold back and save every drop of water.

He also said the groundwater level is falling steadily, so the possibility of a serious drinking water problem in the coming summer cannot be ruled out. In such a situation, he said, water conservation work should be taken up now, rather than relying only on tankers or other alternative measures once summer arrives. If the water flowing in rivers, streams and rivulets is stopped at suitable places, it will help raise the groundwater level. In his view, farming, ordinary people and industry would all benefit.

Jorgewar has proposed that the district's large companies make effective use of their CSR funds. WCL, Mahagenco, the cement industry and other companies should each take up at least one water conservation project from their CSR funds. He has demanded that measures such as plastic dams, cement nala bunds and Vanrai bandhara (loose boulder check dams) be included.

To start the work, he has said the rivers, streams and rivulets in the district that currently have flowing water should first be surveyed immediately through the Revenue and Irrigation (Water Resources) departments. Suitable sites for holding back water should be fixed and a plan made to build dams. He also said the companies should not stop at giving money but should provide machines such as JCBs and poclains, as well as the necessary labour. According to him, this would let the work be completed on a war footing and also reduce the additional burden on the administration.

Jorgewar has also demanded that the Collector personally take the initiative and immediately call a meeting of representatives of all major companies in the district. At that meeting, a plan for water conservation work from CSR funds should be drawn up and each company assigned responsibility for at least one project.

MLA Jorgewar has appealed that people should not have to struggle for drinking water next summer, that farmers should get irrigation water and that industries should not face a water shortage either. He said protecting the available water sources is everyone's collective responsibility, and that the administration and industrial companies should start work immediately, together and in coordination, to hold back every drop of water.