A drinking-water crisis has intensified in Bawda, Pimpri Budruk and Bhandgaon in Indapur taluka, where some villages have reportedly gone up to eight days without supply after the Bhima riverbed dried up. Local representatives have urged the Maharashtra government and water resources authorities to release water from the Ujjani dam into the river within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Abhijit Satish Gogare, Indapur assembly president of the Bharatiya Janata Party Kisan Morcha, submitted representations to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Rural Development and guardian minister Jaykumar Gore, and the Solapur district collector. He called for an immediate discharge from Ujjani and the filling of dams and barrages along the Bhima river.
The demand follows reports that several village water-supply schemes in the Bhima river basin have been affected by the dry riverbed. According to the representations cited in the report, residents in some settlements are struggling to obtain drinking water, while arrangements for livestock have also become difficult.
Bawda gram panchayat has separately submitted a representation to the chief minister. The gram panchayats of Pimpri Budruk and Bhandgaon have approached the deputy engineer of the Bhima Irrigation Department’s Shripur branch, seeking a release of water into the river.
The shortage is also affecting agricultural activity in the area. Local representatives have raised concerns about fodder availability for livestock and the possible impact on standing crops if the water shortage continues. The representations state that the barrages on the river should be filled to capacity after October 15 and that water should be released before then to prevent further disruption to drinking-water schemes.
The demand refers to provisions in a government decision dated October 5, 2026. Gogare has called on the Water Resources Department and district administration to act under that decision and begin the discharge from Ujjani into the Bhima river within 24 to 48 hours. The request also seeks implementation of the release decision so that water reaches the farthest parts of the command area.
The report does not state that the administration has approved the release or that water has already been discharged from Ujjani. Residents and local bodies are now awaiting the authorities’ decision on whether and when water will be released into the Bhima river.
