Beed: Demanding the rightful share of water allocated to Beed and the drought-prone Marathwada region, activists staged a sit-in demonstration (dharna) outside the District Collector's office on Wednesday. The protest was jointly organised by the Lok Ladha Pani Samiti, Samnyayi Pani Watap Sangharsh Samiti and Kisan Sangharsh Samiti.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Annasaheb Shinde, president of the Marathwada Samnyayi Pani Watap Sangharsh Samiti, pointed out that in 2005, then Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had sanctioned 23.66 TMC of water from the Krishna basin for the region. "Even after 20 years, we are still waiting for this water. Had it been released to the Mehekari Dam in Ashti, it would have resolved drinking water issues for at least half of Beed district and sustained cattle. The leadership of Western Maharashtra has consistently treated Marathwada like a colony, and now Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis from Vidarbha is neglecting the region as well," Dr Shinde alleged.
He highlighted that seven years had passed since the Chief Minister announced water supply through river-linking projects in 2019, yet Marathwada had received nothing. "Piped water schemes worth ₹1,800 crore were set up, but they remain dry as there is no water in the reservoirs. Had these funds been invested in the river-linking project, our water crisis would have been resolved by now," he asserted. Prominent leaders, including Kisan Sangharsh Samiti's Sushila Morale and former MLAs Vijay Gavane and Janardan Tupe, were also present.
Sushila Morale noted that Beed and the wider Marathwada region receive scant rainfall, mostly from retreating monsoons, and that the current threat of El Niño looms large over the country. Expressing dismay over the government's handling of the crisis, she said, "The government must implement micro-planning rather than dragging its feet. Offering a meagre ₹5,000 in aid is like rubbing salt into wounds. Instead of doling out revdis (freebies), the administration should ensure year-round irrigation. This paltry ₹5,000 relief is akin to applying an ointment to the forehead when the injury is on the foot."
Water rights activist and former MLA Vijay Gavane addressed the proposal to divert floodwaters. "The government claims it will divert excess floodwaters, but where will it store them during sudden floods? Barrages must be constructed along the Sindphana, Manjara, Kundalika, Godavari and Amruta rivers, and measures must be taken to impound runoff from the Sina and Vicharna rivers," he said.
Dinesh Gulve of the Lok Ladha Pani Samiti demanded the immediate release of Marathwada's sanctioned share of 255 TMC of water. The leaders of the agitation also insisted on the swift implementation of the 2019 decision to divert 168 TMC of water from the Ulhas, Vaitarna and Damanganga-Pinjal/Par-Godavari basins in the Konkan region, along with 30 TMC of surplus water from Vidarbha and another 30 TMC from Kolhapur-Sangli.
