Social Media To The Rescue: Maharashtra Village Gets New Bridge, Tap Water

Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray today inaugurated a bridge in Shendripada, a remote tribal village in Nashik, where people used a makeshift bamboo bridge and went through a deadly ordeal for access to clean water. He also spoke to local women who have to carry heavy containers of water through the bridge, and inaugurated a tap water project.

The minister said that he got to know of the place from social media and that the government will also provide tap water to every household in the area within three months.

"I saw a photo of this place on social media and directed the authorities to solve the problem. We have built a bridge here and within the next 3 months, we will provide tap water to every household here. Our focus is on solving people's problems," Mr Thackeray told news agency ANI. 

Pictures from before the inauguration of the bridge, shared by the minister on Twitter, show women carrying metal pots of water on their heads crossing a stream by walking on a makeshift bridge made of a single pole of bamboo. The new bridge is a solid iron and steel structure that will make the journey safer. 

There is a small river source for water but it's reportedly polluted, forcing people to cover long distances for access to clean water.

Earlier this month, Mr Thackeray had announced that the state government was building a sturdy bridge in the Kharshet-Shendripada hills of the Trimbakeshwar Range in Nashik. He had also announced that the state's Minister for Water Supply Gulabrao Patil had assured him that in three months, all homes in tribal hamlets of the region would have water through taps.