Heat-Wave Tanker Allocation in Barmer Block
The Barmer block control room has two working water tankers, each of 5,000 litres, and each can make only three trips a day because of driver shifts and a 14 km average lead. Two more tankers are under repair for at least a week. The block must serve three salinity-affected villages: A with 900 people, B with 600 people, and C with 1,200 people; C also has a 30-bed primary health centre (PHC) and a school with 300 midday-meal beneficiaries. The district heat-wave protocol treats 15 litres per person per day for drinking and cooking as the minimum, and the PHC needs 100 litres per bed per day. A tanker queue at the single filling point adds 40 minutes per trip. The panchayat has requested full supply to all villages, but the control room cannot meet every demand at once. The sub-divisional officer must fix a seven-day allocation, record the reasons, and arrange a daily review.
1. Calculate the maximum daily supply from the working tankers and compare it with the minimum demand for the three villages, the PHC, and the school. State any assumption you make for the school.
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Supply: 2 tankers × 5,000 L × 3 trips = 30,000 L/day.
Minimum demand:
- A: 900 × 15 = 13,500 L
- B: 600 × 15 = 9,000 L
- C: 1,200 × 15 = 18,000 L
- PHC: 30 beds × 100 = 3,000 L
- School: assume 5 L per midday-meal beneficiary × 300 = 1,500 L
Total = 45,000 L/day.
There is a shortfall of 15,000 L/day, or one-third of minimum demand. The 40-minute queue makes the shortfall worse by reducing the chance that all six trips are completed before dark. The officer cannot promise full supply; the allocation must be prioritised and the gap recorded.
2. Propose a first-24-hour allocation in litres, using the available 30,000 L. Explain the priority order and how you would record the unmet demand.
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A defensible allocation is:
- PHC: 3,000 L - full clinical requirement; do not dilute infection-control and drinking needs.
- School: 1,500 L - protects midday-meal cooking and drinking for children.
- Villages: 25,500 L - about 9.4 L per person across 2,700 people: A 8,500 L, B 5,500 L, C 11,000 L.
This is below the 15 L/person protocol, so it is an emergency ration, not compliance. Record the unmet demand village-wise, the date, and the reason (tanker shortage). Give the PHC and school a fixed early-morning slot to reduce queue delay. Review after 24 hours; if a repaired tanker returns, add its 15,000 L/day first to the villages with the lowest per-capita supply, not to whoever complains loudest.
3. What operational steps could raise supply within 48 hours, and what risks should the officer guard against?
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Fast options: (1) complete one tanker repair, adding up to 15,000 L/day; (2) give tankers a dedicated filling slot to cut the 40-minute queue; (3) hire a tractor-trolley with clean covered drums for short hauls; (4) use the low-salinity source only for livestock and washing, not drinking, unless tested. Risks: unverified private tankers may charge arbitrarily or supply contaminated water; part-loads may not reach the scheduled village; and roping in extra vehicles without a log can hide leakage. Keep a trip log, test chlorine/quality at filling, publish the allocation at the panchayat office, and reserve a small buffer for the PHC.