A 12-year-old girl died of heat stroke at Sablkhed village in Maharashtra’s drought-hit Beed district on Tuesday afternoon, after repeated trips to a hand pump to fetch water.
An NDTV report said Yogita Ashok Desai, a Class 5 student, was dehydrated after making her fifth trip to the pump at the request of family members.
“As the schools were closed, she went to the nearby hand pump to fetch water for us. We are facing extreme water scarcity,” Ishwar, the girl’s uncle, told ANI.
Read: Water train brings 25 lakh litres of water to drought-affected Latur
“But she fell unconscious on her way. We took her to the nearest hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.”
Last month, a 10-year-old Dalit girl from Pimpalgaon village in Beed district fell into a well while trying to draw water.
Beed is in the Marathwada region, which is said to be worst hit by drought.
The relief and rehabilitation department says nearly half of the 4,356 drinking water tankers sent to Maharashtra till mid-April were earmarked for Marathwada.
{{/usCountry}}The relief and rehabilitation department says nearly half of the 4,356 drinking water tankers sent to Maharashtra till mid-April were earmarked for Marathwada.
{{/usCountry}}Many reasons – ranging from cultivation of the water-guzzling sugarcane crop to indiscriminate digging of borewells – have been cited for worsening the drought situation in the Marathwada region, which has seen three deficient monsoons in a row.
Read: Maharashtra: Drought-hit Latur to get water supply through goods train
Read: Maharashtra drought: Drinking water situation worsens