Water woes only increase for the people of Maharashtra. The scenario is so bad that authorities are forced to take help from neighbouring states to fill up tankers which supply drinking water to rural areas. The state administration admits the situation in Marathwada and Vidarbha could get worse if there is a delayed monsoon.
As against the demand of 1,650 tankers, there are only 1,400 tankers supplying potable water to over 2,000 villages in the state. The number of tankers used is the highest in the last five years and is expected to go up drastically in the coming weeks. The administration has attributed the sudden increase to the rise in temperature across the state. There were 1,198 and 1,385 tankers engaged on May 1 and May 8 respectively. Nanded topped the list with 357 tankers followed by Yavatmal, Latur and Washim.
Revenue minister Narayan Rane has directed officials at the district level to expedite the process of water supply. “Water sources are drying up rapidly. Borewells and wells are drying up due to vapourisation because of the heat. We have no problems of tankers or funds, but there is no water left in some part of the state to fill up the tankers. We are taking the help of neighbouring states for water supply, particularly in the districts in the border areas. We filled up tankers in Hyderabad to meet the water demand in Yavatmal,” Rane said.
The government sanctioned Rs41 crore on Monday and assured each district collector at least Rs1 crore to meet water supply demands, the minister said. “For a quick response at the district level, the authority has also been passed on to the tehsildars for effective supply of water. Spending limits of the collectors and divisional commissioners have also been raised,” added Rane.
There is paucity of water even in dams across the state. On May 10, the water stock average of the state was 23%, slightly more than last year’s 20% and much less than the 2008 figure of 29%. In Marathwada, the figure has gone down to 5% from 11% in 2009 and 22% in 2008.
