Nashik (Maharashtra) [India], April 22 (ANI): As Maharashtra grapples with a water crisis, Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) leader Bhaskar Bhagare said that he had raised the issue of the water crisis in Parliament, and added that the work for the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme is also underway.

'I went to a lot of villages and met people. The people are demanding water for drinking and irrigation. They are also demanding employment. The rainfall in the area is more than 2000-2500 mm, but there is no water during the summer. I raised this issue in the Parliament. There should be a scheme to provide water to them. Work for the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme is also underway,' Bhaskar Bhagare told ANI on Monday in Nashik.

Earlier, the women of Borichivari village in Taluka Peth of Nashik district were bearing the brunt of the hardship, walking over two kilometres daily under the scorching sun to fetch water -- often unsafe and insufficient for their families' needs.

With no accessible water source in the village, the women take turns lowering themselves into the depths of the well, often with nothing more than a rope for safety.

A woman from the village shared their struggle and said, 'We face a lot of difficulties in securing drinking water. We have to travel 2 kilometres to get water. Women get sick, sometimes fall while carrying the water back and forth. Our village doesn't have any source of water.'

The water scarcity has not only affected the daily lives of villagers but also added financial burdens.

The struggle in Borichivari is a stark reminder of the widening water crisis in rural Maharashtra.

Similarly, Dhangaon village in the Nandurbar district of Maharashtra, a tribal dominated area, was also seen facing a water crisis in the area, with locals highlighting the lack of facilities.

With the onset of summer, women in the area said that they are forced to find water for themselves and their families by walking multiple kilometres.

A woman said that she was forced to walk for 7-8 kilometres in the scorching heat, without any paved roads or access to a vehicle. (ANI)