The city is facing a severe water crisis due to delayed arrival of the monsoon. The water level in Pariyat Reservoir, one of the city’s main drinking water sources, has dropped sharply and is nearing the minimum level. After Ranjhi, the shortage has now spread to Sadar and nearby areas. Residents said the Municipal Corporation had already reduced water supply to once a day. Now, in Ranjhi and several localities, water is being supplied on alternate days, that too with very low pressure. The maximum water level of Pariyat Reservoir is 1,390 feet. At present, it has fallen close to the minimum level of 1,360 feet. As a result, 13 overhead tanks fed by the reservoir are no longer being filled to capacity. Areas such as Ranjhi, Gokalpur, Bilpura, Manegaon and Madai are the worst affected. People are forced to wait for water tankers and stand in long queues with empty buckets. Many residents said even cooking, bathing and other daily chores have become difficult due to the shortage.

 

The water crisis is also deepening in other parts of the city. Although borewells are providing some relief in areas supplied by Khandari Reservoir, water levels there are also falling. Localities including Bilhari, Kajarwara, Gorabazar, Temarbhita and Tilhari are witnessing increasing water scarcity. Meanwhile, the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation says around 50 water tankers are making nearly 200 trips daily to supply drinking water in the affected areas. However, residents claim the supply is far from adequate. They allege that many localities are receiving either insufficient water or no tanker service at all. As a result, long queues of women, children and elderly residents carrying buckets and other containers have become a common sight in the worst-affected localities. Residents said if the city does not receive good rainfall in the next few days, the situation may worsen further. The pressure on the Municipal Corporation to increase the number of water tankers and arrange alternative water supply is also growing. For now, the city's hopes rest on the arrival of the monsoon.