Responding to a request from the Rajasthan government, Reliance Petroleum Ltd (RPL) has arranged to provide six lakh litres of water per day to some of the worst drought-affected areas of Rajasthan. The water supply, which began from May 8, is for two tehsils, Phalodi and Oasian, which constitute over 90 severely affected villages in the Jodhpur Division. Bap, another severely affected village, is also being supplied with water.The water is being supplied through 40 tankers and tractor trolleys specially deployed for the purpose. These tankers and trolleys make several trips each day to distribute the much-needed water to the remotest corners of every village down to the smallest hutment. All Reliance gas centres in the area have been authorised by the Reliance management to also function as drought-relief centres. Reliance has been instrumental in setting up drought-relief committees which will act in close association with the local panchayats to monitor aid to the villages.
High-level committees comprising sarpanchs and pradhans of various villages and other prominent citizens have been constituted. These committees are to ensure uninterrupted supply of water to each and every part of these tehsils till the monsoon arrives.
Earlier, RPL startted supplying 16 lakh gallons of water per day to water-scarce Jamnagar from its desalination plant by cutting down on its own consumption. Besides, Reliance group has supplied over four lakh kg of fodder free of cost directly to the NGOs running cattle camps and panjrapols at Wadhvan of Surendranagar district, and Dwarka, Movan and Varvala in Jamnagar district. This is in addition to 37 lakh kg of fodder already supplied to the government depots.
Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.