The drought-like situation prevailing in the district for the last five years, in the absence of monsoon, has resulted in drying up of several ponds and wells, affecting rural life in Trans-Yamuna and Trans-Ganga areas.

The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that the district administration has been supplying drinking water through water tankers in these areas. Around 16 water tankers are engaged in supplying water in villages.

According to official records, small rivers like Tones, Loni, Lapari, Gadhwa, Barsaita, Varuna, Mansaita, Sasurkhaderi and Sahnawa have dried up or are now left with little water. The affected blocks are Meja, Nari-Bari, Shankargarh, Koraon, Phoolpur, Handia, Baharia and Sarai Mumrez. Each block has 200 to 300 villages. The crisis is affecting nearly five lakh villagers, residing in 1,500 villages.

Sources said the groundwater level in the drought-prone areas, including Shankargarh, Koraon, Bara, Nari-Bari, has drastically decreased by 10 to 15 feet in the last five years.

A sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) said that the administration cannot cope with the situation, as it is an uphill task to supply water to nearly 2,000 ponds in the Trans-Yamuna area, repair, re-bore the defunct hand pumps and stop the groundwater level from dropping further within a fortnight. Ravi Shukla, a farmer of Shivrajpur village, said in certain villages, people are forced to dig the river bed for drinking water.

Officials from the Jal Nigam, who have been entrusted with the work of repairing hand pumps and re-boring of pumps, reportedly have yet not started maintenance and repair work.

Bara SDM Vipin Mishra said: “It is true that the villagers are facing water crisis. But the administration has taken all measures to ensure supply of water to the village ponds, which have dried up.”