The drinking-water crisis in Jaisalmer and Barmer has intensified after monsoon rainfall in the two Pakistan-border districts fell to less than half the average, prompting district administrations to review supply systems, storage capacity and contingency measures ahead of summer.
Jaisalmer District Collector Anupama Jorwal inspected the Public Health Engineering Department headworks at 193 RD on Friday to assess drinking-water arrangements and the progress of ongoing projects. She reviewed operational multi-village drinking-water supply schemes and works being carried out under the Jal Jeevan Mission, and issued directions to officials on maintaining supplies.
The inspection covered the intake pump house, the operational seven-village and 14-village multi-village water-supply schemes, and construction of a new pump house and clear-water reservoir for the proposed 22-village water-supply scheme. Jorwal also visited Chhanganiyon Ki Basti, where she inspected a solar-powered pumping system, household supplies through Functional Household Tap Connections and the availability of water in livestock troughs.
She later inspected the PHED headworks at Rojaniyon Ki Basti, which serves 14 villages. Officials were directed to maintain adequate water storage in reservoirs, examine ways to increase storage capacity, strengthen monitoring of distribution systems and reduce technical disruptions through preventive maintenance. Jorwal also instructed the department to prioritise and expedite pending Jal Jeevan Mission works so that more rural households could be connected to the schemes.
The immediate pressure is also being felt in Jaisalmer city. According to the report, several parts of the city have been receiving piped water once every five to six days, while some areas receive supplies only once every seven days. The system has remained severely disrupted for about one-and-a-half years, with residents expressing frustration over repeated assurances from officials and political representatives.
The district-level review is therefore addressing both a rainfall-linked shortage risk and an existing distribution problem. The reported inspection focused not only on the availability of water at source but also on pumping, storage, technical maintenance and the reliability of last-mile delivery to households and villages.
Barmer Collector Chinmayi Gopal also reviewed the district’s drinking-water arrangements. A few days earlier, she had visited the main drinking-water head of the Barmer Lift Canal, located in Jaisalmer district, and directed officials to prepare a contingency plan for the coming summer. She also instructed them to speed up pending projects.
Gopal subsequently inspected an escape reservoir built by the Water Resources Department at 1,356 RD of the Indira Gandhi Canal. The reservoir is designed to store additional water during periods of excessive rainfall. She directed officials to prepare a detailed proposal to transport the stored water to Mohangarh during canal closures or periods of water scarcity.
The proposed use of the reservoir could add another source for the project and support drinking-water supplies during the summer months. The next steps identified by the district administrations are the preparation of the Barmer contingency plan, the proposal for transporting stored canal water to Mohangarh, and faster completion of pending water-supply works in both districts.
