Pune, July 24 32 tankers now serving 60,000 hit by drought-like situation; 25 more to be pressed into service in a week With most parts of eastern Pune facing a drought-like situation, Pune district collector Chandrakant Dalvi has sought Rs 3 crore from the state government to address water scarcity issues. With an affected population of nearly 60,000 in the district, at present 32 tankers with a minimum capacity of 10,000 litres, are being sent to these areas. According to the plan, another 25 tankers will be pressed into service in a week's time. Repair work of the existing water schemes is also part of a special plan being chalked out to address the water woes in the district by the collector. Baramati, Purandar, Indapur, Shirur, Daund, Velhe and Bhor have been declared severely affected in the district, with most areas receiving no rainfall at all. A special plan has been readied to cater to the shortage of water in these areas till September 30. Increasing the number of tankers assigned to these areas, identifying the repair work necessary for existing bore wells and temporary additions as well as deepening of wells will form part of the plan. Dalvi said this is the first time that Pune district has been so severely affected. The district has so far received only 214 mm of rainfall as against the 628 mm of rainfall in June-July last year. "Areas such as Baramati and Indapur have received no rainfall at all,' Dalvi pointed out. The last two months have seen only 19 per cent in Pune, he added. Fodder depots have been planned and officers of the Maharashtra Rural Employment Guarantee (MREG) Scheme have been asked to generate a list of the people who need jobs to sustain their livelihood. According to deputy collector Prakash Kadam, almost 150 areas have been identified in these areas to cater to the affected people.