The supreme court has finally hit the nail. Everyone concerned with the grave situation in the country must welcome the honorable court's ire towards non performance of the successive governments towards the water crisis.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday linked the existence of government to the solution of water shortage in the country. According to the court, government has no right to be in power if it does not solve the problem. It is largely on the one of the famous lines byu Sharad Joshi, veteran farmer's leader : Sarkar kya samasya suljhaye, jab sarkar khud ek samasya hai! (How can government solve a problem, government itself is a problem)

"Government has no right to be in office. You have no right to be in office if you can't provide water," Justice Markandeya Katju heading a bench with Justice H L Dattu told Additional Solicitor General Parag Tripathi appearing for the Center.

The court also constituted a committee to be headed by the Secretary, Union Ministry of Science and Technology as its chairman, and Secretary, Union Ministry of Water Resources as a member, apart from scientists. It said the committee should be entrusted the task of conducting a scientific research on a war footing to find inexpensive methods of converting saline water from the sea into fresh water.

Closer home, city of Pune has its woes of drinking water. Pune Municipal Corporation has gone on record to say that the existing system of water supply is not fully capable to provide water judiciously. Currently, there are 50 tankers providing water to the citizens in city. This arrangement is mainly for those citizens living in suburban areas.

Last year, when the rain god played hide and seek in the early months of monsoon season, there was large hue and cry by corporators belonging to all parties. According to Irrigation Department, the norms for the water supply in urban area stipulate that each person should get 150 Litres. of water every day. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) area gets 11 thousand million cubic meters (TMC) water everyday. This translates into 400 cubic seconds (Cusecs) of water flow. Of this, 40 per cent is relayed to the city from pipelines and 60 per cent through canals. Since the water runs thorough this pipe line for 24 hours, the areas located near this line enjoy water supply all the time. That affects the parts located far away from the water purification centre. However, the good news is that the water level in the dams providing water to the city is four per cent more as compared to last year.

Water shortage in Pune division touched a high in 2003 when following three successive years without rains, as many as 905 tankers were deployed for the water supply. This time around the situation is not so grave, but in nearby Satara district things are in bad shape. The district administration has employed 13 tankers as well as bullock carts to supply water to the people.

On the state level, Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA) has completed the Groundwater Resource Estimation of Maharashtra in 2004 on watershed and taluka basis. According to GSDA estimation, out of total 1505 watersheds, 76 are categorized as overexploited meaning that groundwater development is more than 100 percent of the recharge there. 20 are categorized as critical and 163 watersheds are categorized as Semi-critical.