While the temperatures are soaring all over Maharashtra, the water levels at reservoirs across the state have fallen to just 18 percent.
According to Mumbai Mirror, Marathwada region is the worst hit, with only 2 percent water in storage, followed by Nagpur at 8.7 percent. An official from the state’s Water Resources Department told the leading daily, “Water storage has reached about 20 percent. But this season, the monsoon prediction is good for the state. This will provide water for drinking and farming purpose from early June. The government is providing tankers to the villages having water woes.”
Statistics recently released by the Maharashtra government’s water resources department has revealed that as many as 20 major dams across the state have now run out of water. Aurangabad has the lowest water storage at 2.73 percent (32.72 percent in 2018), Nagpur 8.69 per cent (16.78 per cent in 2018), Nashik 16.89 per cent (36.11 per cent), Amaravati 19.47 per cent (19.17 per cent), Pune 22.27 per cent (38.35 per cent) and Konkan 36.68 per cent (49.0 per cent in 2018), reported the leading daily.
Deputy commissioner (revenue) of the divisional commissionerate in Aurangabad, Vijaykumar Phad told Hindustan Times that measures have been taken to save the water available to the state resources until the end of June. Phad added that around 2,400 water tankers are plying in the district and the number of tankers will be increased if required. Latest figures updated on the official website of the Maharashtra government shows that 784 water tankers were deployed across the state in April of 2018 but the number this time around has jumped to a staggering 4,594 water tankers.
The state of Maharashtra has been hounded by widespread droughts year in and year out. However, multiple reports have indicated that Marathwada was the worst affected area in the state followed by Aurangabad, Beed, Osmanabad, Hingoli, and Parbhani along with Nashik, Nagpur, Pune, and Amravati.
