New Delhi: Residents of Tulshi village in Maharashtra’s Solapur district have put up an unusual banner declaring their village ‘for sale’, with the price
listed simply as ‘water’. The protest reflects the severe water shortage faced by the village, where around 7,000 residents have been dependent on water tankers.
The village in Madha tehsil has reportedly struggled with water scarcity for years, despite several government plans and assurances. Residents say incomplete work under the Sina-Madha Lift Irrigation Scheme has prevented water from reaching the village.
“The village faces water scarcity every year. Though the canals of the Sina-Madha scheme pass close to the village, we don’t benefit from it. By putting up the board saying ‘Village for Sale, Price: Water’, we are trying to draw the government’s attention to our plight,” Tulshi sarpanch Sharad More said.
26 years of incomplete irrigation work
According to More, around 800 metres of excavation work near the seventh and eighth outlets of the Sina-Madha scheme has remained incomplete for the past 26 years.
Residents believe completing the work could provide a permanent solution to Tulshi’s water shortage. The inadequate rainfall this monsoon has further worsened the situation, leaving local ponds and wells dry.
Tulshi has 14 ponds and wells that are reportedly bone-dry. Villagers said filling these water sources could significantly improve drinking water availability as well as support irrigation.
The village has also benefited from works undertaken under the Jal Jeevan Mission. However, residents said the scheme has not been effective because the local water source has dried up.
Water crisis affects farming, marriages
The shortage has severely affected the livelihoods of villagers, most of whom depend on agriculture and animal husbandry.
Residents said the crisis has also affected young men in the village. More claimed that around 350 men remain unmarried because families are reluctant to marry their daughters into a village facing such a severe water shortage.
Villagers began a hunger strike on September 14 and later staged a ‘thali-naad’ protest outside the Madha tehsil office. They have warned that the agitation will continue if their demands are not addressed.
In 2024, the Krishna Valley Development Corporation reportedly approved providing water from the Sina-Madha Lift Irrigation Scheme to Tulshi and other drought-prone villages, including Bavi, Paritewadi, Kurdu, Pimpalkhunte, Ambad and Anjangaon.
In January this year, Rs 90 lakh was announced for 2025-26 for supplying water through a closed pipeline from the Sina-Madha scheme to Tulshi’s Bhavani percolation tank.
More said villagers had heard that funds were sanctioned through DPDC for the pipeline, but claimed that no concrete work had started.
Residents said they have repeatedly approached authorities and held protests but are yet to see a permanent solution.
“The board saying ‘Village for Sale’ is a symbolic protest to draw the government’s attention to our water problem. Our agitation will continue until we get water,” More said.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, state Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne acknowledged the issue and said the state government would provide all possible help to the village.
