Gaya, April 17: The town may be parched, but Prem Kumar has not come across a single thirsty person.

The MLA from Gaya (Town) and public health and engineering department (PHED) minister also feels that the ongoing water crisis here is not as acute as has been portrayed.

?The residents may have to fetch water from distant places, but I have not come across a single person who is thirsty because of the crisis,? said the minister, breaking his long silence on the matter.

Attributing the scarcity to the failure of two successive monsoons in the region and the consequent drop in the water table, Kumar said it was nothing new.

The crisis has been recurring with remarkable regularity for at least two months every summer.

This year, the crisis has set in earlier than usual and would also last longer, he added, claiming that the administration was in no way responsible as the matter involved factors beyond human control.

On the steps that have been taken to face the challenge, Kumar said 16 tankers have been pressed into service to provide water in the worst-affected areas. Besides, hand pumps would also come up in all the wards of Gaya Municipal Corporation (GMC).

The minister said water supply in the town was the GMC?s responsibility and the government had a limited role to play.

On its part, the PHED has been working on a project that envisages construction of two mega storage tanks near the Police Lines, each with a capacity of 5 lakh gallons.

The project is estimated to cost Rs 7 crore and will be completed within 18 months, Kumar said.

Once the project is over, water scarcity in areas like Gewalbigha, Rampur, AP Colony, Chanakyapuri, White House and Karimganj will become a ?thing of the past?, the minister claimed.

Kumar said a survey will be conducted for construction of a barrage on the Falgu river near Bitho village to prevent wastage of water.

The minister is in favour of a legislation that would regulate the use of groundwater and promote rainwater harvesting and other techniques to keep the water table at a favourable level.

Expressing concern, Kumar said as many as 5,634 villages in the district do not receive safe drinking water.

The town has been on the boil over water in the recent past, with politicians cutting across party lines joining residents in the agitation.