Recycle sewage water for irrigation during drought: HC to Maharashtra

The Bombay high court on Wednesday told the Maharashtra government to consider recycling sewage water so that it can be used for irrigation during the drought-like situation in the state.

The Bombay high court on Wednesday told the Maharashtra government to consider recycling sewage water so that it can be used for irrigation during the drought-like situation in the state.

A division bench of justice V M Kanade and justice Dr Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi was hearing a petition by a farmer, Siddheshwar Warade, who asked the court to order the release of water from the Ujani dam for irrigation in Mohol and Mangalwedha talukas of Solapur district.

The court was informed by the Water Resources Regulatory Authority that it is not feasible to release water from the Ujani dam at the moment, but that the situation will be reviewed by October-end.

The authority suggested sewage water should be treated and used for irrigation and non-irrigation purposes, so that rainwater can be used for drinking purposes only.

The court said that such a recycling initiative would solve the scarcity problem not only in Solapur district, but also state-wide.