Division Bench questions the decision as the State is reeling under drought Water supply cuts have started at Shankarnagar in Nashik city. Till a week ago, Rajendra Jadhav, a resident says, there was supply through taps twice a day, for two hours each time. Now, it’s just once a day. About 15 km away, in Niphad taluk, grape-grower Vasudeo Kathe’s orchard runs the risk of ruin for want of water. These areas are supplied water from the Gangapur dam, which is located 10 km from Nashik. The Maharashtra government let out water from the dam for ‘Shahi Snan’ (a royal bath) at the Kumbh Mela held recently in Nashik. The decision came under criticism from the Bombay High Court, which questioned the wisdom of water release for holy dip in the Godavari, when the State was reeling under drought. Last week, the court directed the Chief Secretary to examine the legalities of the decision, which went against the government’s water policy that prioritised water release for drinking and domestic use and sanitation. A Division Bench of Justices A.S. Oka and V.L. Achliya, in a September 22 order on a public interest litigation petition filed by Professor H.M. Desarda, said: “The State government was insensitive to the needs of common people in the drought-affected areas who have to travel long distances every day to fetch drinking water…What is shocking is that for washing away the dirt created in the river by the ‘holy bath,’ a substantial quantum of water will have to be released from the Gangapur dam.” In another order earlier, the Bench asked the government to adopt “a sensitive and scientific approach to saving water” and “revisit the entire issue in the light of the fact that the water which will satisfy the basic needs of lakhs of citizens is being diverted for ‘Shahi Snan’.” The holy bath at Nashik Kumbh took place on August 29 and September 13 and 18. Of the 4.5 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water reserved for Nashik city during 2015-2016, 5.15 per cent or 0.232 TMC was released for the event on the three days. The government maintained that if enough water had not been released, a law and order situation would have arisen. “The Godavari is not a perennial river. If lakhs of people come on their own, it is the State’s responsibility to provide them water for bathing,” Nashik Collector Deependra Singh Kushwah told The Hindu . “The [government’s water] policy also says water can be used for ‘other purposes.’ Moreover, the water that was released has not been wasted. It will go to the lower Godavari basin. The actual amount of water released was much less than what was sanctioned. In fact, the High Court itself had previously ordered that clean water be provided to the devotees,” Mr. Kushwah said. Details apart, it was the government’s flawed thinking that drew the court’s ire. The criticism was also timely, as last Friday, the government declared drought in 14,708 villages. The ‘Shahi Snan’ is a pointer to the more pressing issue of inequitable water distribution, experts say. “It was silly to release water for Kumbh. Why not do ‘Shahi Snan’ symbolically by putting a bit of water on the head,” asked water expert Vijay Diwan. The suggestion was not well received by the spiritually inclined. “Let’s see what happens in future. The government has to provide water for the bath. It is our dharmik parampara [religious tradition]. God will fill up the river with twice the amount of water,” Mahant Dharamdasji of Shri Nirvani Ani Akhara, told The Hindu .