Uran: In a dramatic show of discontent, hundreds of residents from Khopta Gram Panchayat took to the streets on Tuesday, marching to the local panchayat office with a traditional band in tow. The unique protest, led prominently by women, highlighted the growing desperation among villagers facing an ongoing water crisis.
The protest was sparked by the severe shortage of drinking water across seven hamlets under the Khopta (Bandhpada) Gram Panchayat, which collectively house over 15,000 people. The area is dependent on water supply from CIDCO’s Hetwane Dam, but residents say the supply has either stopped or reduced drastically in recent weeks.
“People are forced to wander from place to place just to collect a few pots of water,” said Sanjay Thakur, a local villager. “We’ve raised this issue many times, but there has been no concrete response. Today’s protest is our way of making the administration listen.”
Responding to the agitation, the Gram Vikas Officer admitted that leaking water pipelines were disrupting the supply and said repairs were underway. “We are making all efforts to restore normal water supply at the earliest,” the official assured.
Meanwhile, the crisis appears to extend beyond Khopta. Residents in Ulwe, another area under CIDCO jurisdiction, have also been facing low water pressure over the past week. A CIDCO official stated that a maintenance shutdown had been scheduled for April 9, and repairs are expected to resolve the issue.
As temperatures soar and water levels fall, residents across Uran and nearby areas continue to demand urgent and lasting solutions to the persistent water woes.
