Water Scheme Serving 54 Bemetara Villages Cut to Once-a-Day Supply After River Erosion
A group water supply scheme covering 54 villages in the Nawagarh area of Chhattisgarh’s Bemetara district has been running on a reduced, once-a-day schedule after erosion near its river intake point left it short of water, the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department confirmed on October 22, 2026. The department said repairs are underway but gave no fixed timeline for full restoration.
What broke the water supply
The Samuh Jal Pradaya (group water supply) scheme was commissioned in 2018 to bring filtered water from the Shivnath river to villages around Nawagarh through an intake well near Nandghat and a filter plant at Adar village, according to a report by Patrika. The outlet reported that the scheme ran for roughly a month before disruptions began, and that saline water has also affected some of the villages it was meant to serve.
Patrika reported that erosion and a shifting course of the Shivnath river, which residents and officials link to illegal sand mining near Limtara in neighbouring Balodabazar district, has left the intake well without enough water to draw on. That shortfall is the immediate cause of the cut to a once-daily supply through a makeshift arrangement, the report said. The outlet did not report any enforcement action against the sand mining.
Which villages are affected
The scheme’s records list 54 villages in the Nawagarh block as recipients of filtered water, per Patrika’s report, though residents say regular supply has been missing in many of them. Among those named as affected are Karman, Dhobni, Thenga Bhath and Risa Amli. Residents across these villages depend on the scheme as their primary filtered water source, since the shift to a single daily supply window.
What residents say
Lekhram Verma, a resident of Nandghat, told Patrika that the Shivnath river at the intake point once held 20 to 30 feet of water and has now become shallow enough to cross on foot. A subheading in the report says the anicut, or check dam, at the site has not been maintained in eight years. Verma called for anicut repairs, embankment construction and a permanent water conservation plan for the river, arguing that the shortage will keep recurring without them.
Tinku, a resident near the Nawagarh-Chhitapar water tank, told Patrika that it has not been cleaned in six years. Devadas Chaturvedi, of Cherkapur, separately raised questions about tank cleaning and sanitation standards. Residents also said unpaid electricity bills have left the scheme’s chlorination rooms in poor condition, a claim Patrika reported as residents’ account rather than a confirmed departmental finding.
What officials said
J.P. God, Executive Engineer of the PHE department in Bemetara, confirmed to Patrika that the supply has dropped to once a day because of the shortage at the intake point. “It is true we can only supply water once because of the shortage,” he said, according to the report. God added that the department remains in regular contact with the state Water Resources Department on restoring the intake, and that the storage tanks across the affected villages will be cleaned, without specifying a date for either.
What happens next
Three separate fixes are now pending, per the Patrika report: restoring the river intake well, cleaning storage tanks that residents say have gone years without maintenance, and repairing the anicut and riverbank that both residents and the PHE department point to as the underlying cause. None of the three carries a public timeline yet.
Whether the once-a-day supply becomes a longer-term arrangement for the 54 villages or a short interruption will depend on how quickly the Water Resources Department moves on the river-bank work, since the PHE department’s own fix is limited to the intake point and tank cleaning it directly controls.
Frequently asked questions
Why did the water scheme stop working normally?
Erosion and a shift in the Shivnath river’s course, which residents and officials link to illegal sand mining near Limtara in Balodabazar district, has left the scheme’s intake well near Nandghat without enough water to draw on, Patrika reported.
How many villages are affected?
The scheme’s records list 54 villages in the Nawagarh block of Bemetara district as recipients, though residents in villages including Karman, Dhobni, Thenga Bhath and Risa Amli say regular supply has been missing.
What is the PHE department doing about it?
Executive Engineer J.P. God said the department is coordinating with the state Water Resources Department on restoring the intake and has committed to cleaning the storage tanks, but has not set a date for either.
Has any action been taken over the alleged illegal sand mining?
Patrika’s report did not mention any enforcement action against the sand mining near Limtara that residents and officials blame for the river’s erosion, and it remains unaddressed alongside the intake and tank repairs.
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