Drought hits more than 70% villages in Maha

Marathwada region worst-hit; water levels very low in dams

MUMBAI: More than 70% of the 40,559 villages in Maharashtra are now reeling under drought. The state government recently declared drought in 11,862 villages, taking the number up to 28,662.

The Vidarbha region, which comprises the Nagpur and Amravati revenue divisions, is the worst hit. The state has declared drought in 5,810 villages in the Amravati division, while 6,052 villages have been named from the Nagpur division. The districts that fall under both these divisions are Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal, Washim, Nagpur, Wardha, Gondia, Bhandara, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur.

Moreover, with no water left in dams, especially in the Marathwada region, government officials handling the crisis are in a fix for the next two-and-a-half months until the onset of the monsoon.

As on March 18, only 5% water was left in the major dams of Marathwada, while the medium and minor dams had just 6% and 3%, respectively. Last year, at the same time, the region’s major dams had water up to 18%.

The biggest concern in the drought- affected areas now is the supply of drinking water. The state has deployed more than 2,279 tankers to supply drinking water and for the worst-affected districts, such as Latur, the government is planning to supply potable water through railway wagons.

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