Reliance Foundation supplies water to 2 lakh people in drought-hit Marathawada region

Reliance Foundation (RF) embarked on a mission to supply potable drinking water to the drought hit villages of Marathwada, after it identified 100 most distressed villages in four districts of Latur, Hingoli, Jalna and Nanded. Marathwada region of Maharashtra is parched due to repeated failures of monsoons over the years resulting in depletion of water tables, and over-exploitation of ground water, which has crippled the region's economy. The need of the hour was to provide relief to these villages where drinking water was not available.

The initiative named 'Mission Rahat' has reached out to more than 100 villages, providing two to four tankers of water per village per day. More than 300 daily sorties supplies approximately 11 litres of water per person per day. So far, more than 20 million litres of water have been supplied to 2 lakh people, deploying as many as 3,990 tankers in May – the hottest month of the year.

A team from the Foundation, in collaboration with government agencies, identified 100 most distressed villages in the four Marathwada districts. Then, they identified sources of water and started delivering drinking water to over 50,000 families. An efficient supply system ensured equitable and safe distribution of water to the villages. PM Ambulage, a gram-sevika from Kharpudi, Jalna, says, "We were facing acute water scarcity. The village sarpanch asked me to seek the Panchayat Samiti's help. Mr Pagare of the Panchayat Samiti told me that RF has been providing free water to water starved villages. He said that an RF team will survey our village, and if the need is real, will provide immediate relief."