Exclusive! Maharashtra: Water-starved village on edge after shark attack

Last weekrsquos shark attack on 34yearold fisherman Hitesh Govari in Palghar district has aggravated the water crisis in ManorDongar village where residents solely depended on the nearby Vaitarna river However following the shark attack the villagers facing acute water shortages are now scared to go to the river fearing sharksThe forest department and gram panchayat have collectively made efforts to discourage locals from venturing into the river fuelled by rumours of lsquoanother sharkrsquo sighted in the nearby watersThe villagers are now wondering lsquoWhere do we go for water nowrsquoA resident showing the pipelines without a tapThey mentioned that they used to go to the river every day to bathe wash clothes and utensils due to inadequate water supply with no fixed timing The tap often runs dry for over 48 hours as water is supplied every alternate day The situation worsens during the scorching heat of May and June when they face over a monthlong drought due to no water supply Their unanimous complaints are disregarded by the gram panchayat ldquoKiske paas jaenge hamloghellipkoi sunta he nahi hai hamarardquo said a resident Deepika Dilip JadhavldquoThe Sarpanch has a ready list of reasons like the motor is burnt out water will come in the evening there is a water shortage due to the summer season etc Every time we are sent back home with a promise that it will be supplied in the eveninghellipbut the promises are never fulfilled In such cases we have no other option than to go to the river but now the authorities have told us not to go there Where to go nowrdquo wondered JadhavAnother local resident Shabana Mehboob Ali Khan said that water tankers are brought only after multiple requests to the gram panchayat ldquoBut the tanker cannot be brought to the doorstep as the lanes are narrow on the hill So we have to walk to the tanker and stand in a queue But one tanker is not sufficient as everyone runs with jerry cans to fill itrdquo said KhanNotice issued by the authoritiesThe villagers claimed that highly nonpotable water is supplied during the monsoon ldquoThere is no fixed time to supply water we have to wait at least for two days to refill our reservoir Also the quality of water is another issue we have to add alum fitkiri to purify it The situation becomes horrible in the summer season as no water is supplied when temperatures soarrdquo said Khan while making keychains for her livelihoodldquoCome and check the quality of water when it is supplied during the rainy season its colour is akin to milk teardquo she addedldquoPeople of this village are suffering from skin disease because they regularly bathe in the salty water of the Vaitarna riverrdquo she addedSpot in the river where the shark attack happenedDefunct water storage tanksIn the village defunct water storage tanks perched atop rusty iron stands seamlessly blend with the deplorable surroundings These tanks never connected to the water pipeline have been lying unused since their inauguration according to villagersResidents grapple with crumbling infrastructure navigating narrow poorly maintained lanes and rocky paths to reach their homes Dry tufts line unclean roads while abandoned water tanks partly concealed under tree leaves exacerbate the plightBilkis Memon a local resident said ldquoWater tank atop an iron stand but see no pipe is connected It has been abandoned for the past two years Despite pipes laid and taps installed in homes water supply remains scanty lasting only 30 minutes every alternate day leaving villagers in a quandaryrdquoPoorly maintained lanes and rocky paths in the villageManorDongar village suffers from neglect by the gram panchayat evident in the absence of proper roads and abandoned water storage tanks The deteriorating network of water pipes covered in peeling cement poses further challenges leaving residents vulnerable to damage and leaksNo water connection at victimrsquos houseThere is no tap on the pipeline which ends nearly 30 metres before reaching the boundary wall of Hiteshrsquos recently constructed pucca houseHis aunt Deepika Dilip Jadhav said ldquoSee there is no tap here in the pipe If water is released Hitesh would connect a plastic pipe to get supply at his homerdquoA 50yearold Akila Abbas Shaikh said ldquoToday water was supplied after five days at my home Sometimes we have to wait for 15 days for water We donrsquot have a borewell how will we surviverdquoldquoWe are forced to go to the river to wash clothes or utensils and take a bath The river is around 2 km from my house It is very difficult for me to go down the hill to the river and climb atop with wet clothes and utensils Many times I lost balance and slipped on the inclinationhellipit is an everyday strugglerdquo she told middayThe midday team visited the village on Friday to gauge what prompted Hitesh alias Vickya to go to the river in the evening when a few villagers already spotted the sea predatorHis neighbours and relatives said that Hitesh went to take a bath in the river only because there was no water at his homeHis mother Surekha Suresh Govari said ldquoHad there been a sufficient supply of water my son would not have gone to the riverhelliphe paid the heaviest price for taking a bath in the riverhelliphe is a father of two children and he has lost his legrdquoGovarirsquos village is located on a hill along the Vaitarna river which is connected to an open sea at Arnala in Virar ldquoDespite living in close proximity to a huge water body we are still facing huge water scarcity as there is inadequate supply of waterrdquo said Shayna Birwatkar a local resident of ManorDongar villageJJM falls flatThe painful ordeal of waterstressed villagers punctures the lofty claims of the Central governmentrsquos ambitious project lsquoJal Jeevan Missionrsquo to install taps at every household by 2024 as the women and adolescent girls of this village are often carrying jerry cans loads of water on their heads negotiating thorny and rocky paths of the hill to fetch waterBut the proliferation of local strongmensupported water businesses near the village exacerbates the residentsrsquo plight who endure droughtlike conditions that worsen during summer daysldquoWe keep on watching our taps because there is no fixed timerdquo said Salma Khan another residentOfficials SpeakWhen contacted about the water crisis in the village the collector of Palghar district Govind Bodke said ldquoThis comes under Zila Parishadrsquos responsibility Pleasecontact the chief executive officer ZPrdquoThe authorities seem unaware of the crisis The Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Parishad BH Palawe said ldquoI have spoken to the block development officer and the executive engineer concerned of the area They said there is no issue of water shortage at all in the village I am 999 per cent sure that there is no water crisis in ManorDongar village in the Palghar districtrdquoldquoAlso I was there in the village last week during the visit of the chief minister At that time no one including the village sarpanch informed me about any such issuerdquo Palawe told middayHowever the Sarpanch Chetan Patil stated that the CEO of ZP has been apprised of the ongoing water crisis in ManorDongar villageldquoThere are nearly 25000 people in the village where residents have been facing water shortage for many years There is a water crisis in the area water cannot be released every day as we have to fulfil the demands of other pockets in the village This is why people get water every alternate dayrdquo said PatilA forest officer from Manor said ldquoWe have installed posters to spread a message among villagers not to go into Vaitarna river They usually were seen washing clothes utensils and bathing in the river because of the water crisis but we are concerned about their safetyrdquoldquoThe water level in the river has decreased but we are keeping a close watch on the movements of any sea predator in the Vaitarna river The ban has not been made for a specific span of time but they should not venture into the river at least for a monthrdquo the forest officer saidAn honorary wildlife warden of Palghar district Hardik Soni said ldquoInitially it was being discussed that three sharks came into the river But it seems it was a rumour as I spoke to many local fishermen in the area and came to know that only one bull shark entered into the shallow water in Vaitarna river apparently to give birth in the freshwater or it might be foodstarved Sharks are very aggressive fishrdquoldquoThe movements of sharks can be ascertained if satellite tagging is installed on the sea turtles near Arnala where the Vaitarna river meets the sea But for that the forest department needs to have permission from its head office in Nagpurrdquo said Soni who was present at the spot when the dead shark was being loaded into a van from Manor to Dahanu2 YearsTime since pipeline was abandonedFeb 13Day of the attack