Marathwada drought situation worsens

The state government has deployed 4,594 tankers to supply water to 3,555 villages and 8,183 hamlets affected by drought, according to the state water resources department figures.

The drought situation in Marathwada and parts of north and western Maharashtra has aggravated further with water level depleting in major dams in the state, according to the figures released by the state water resources department this week. Marathwada, which is the worst affected region, has just 5.28% of water available as against 30.67% on April 25, 2018. The average water stock in a total of 3,267 dams in the state has dropped to 20.09% against 33.12% on the same day last year.

More than 20,000 villages were declared drought-hit in November last year and the state government extended a slew of concessions and tax rebate to the villagers. (AFP)

More than 20,000 villages were declared drought-hit in November last year and the state government extended a slew of concessions and tax rebate to the villagers. Districts such as Beed, Jalna, Osmanbad in Marathwada were the worst affected.

Now, the state government has deployed 4,594 tankers to supply water to 3,555 villages and 8,183 hamlets affected by drought, according to the state water resources department figures. Water levels have dropped drastically in major dams, including Jayakwadi, Manjara, Majalgaon, Siddheshwar, which are the primary water sources for Aurangabad, Latur and Nanded districts. The shortfall of rain in 2018 not only caused a loss of crops in the kharif season [between June and October] but also affected the rabi crops (sown during winter) as the soil and air moisture level dropped.

Aslam Patel, a farmer from Nandi village in Jalana said, “All the wells in our villages have dried up and we are totally dependent on water tankers. The district administration fill public well in the evening and the villagers keep fetching it till midnight. One tanker per day per village is not sufficient. We have been demanding a cattle camp in the village but the district administration is not paying heed to our demand. There are deaths of cow and buffalos reported because of the shortage of fodder and water.” An official from the relief and rehabilitation department said arrangements are being made to set up cattle camps. “We have directed the district collectors to allot cattle camps with immediate effect. Sufficient funds have been allocated for the water supply by tankers as well. The district collectors have been directed to search for newer water sources as the existing ones are drying up,” the official added.