70% districts of Maharashtra facing drought as dam water level drops

As elections approach in Maharashtra, over 70% of its districts are facing a serious drought crisis. Both rural areas and cities in the Marathwada region are experiencing water shortages, leading to the use of water tankers in many villages. The lack of water has dried up 100 small and medium dam projects, forcing cultivation to rely on only 269 projects. This scarcity is making it hard to provide water for farming and drinking purposes.

The most alarming water scarcity is observed in the arid Marathwada region, where dam water storage has plummeted to a critical low of 21.3% of capacity, down from 46% from the previous year. Other regions, including the sugar belt in Western Maharashtra and North Maharashtra, are also experiencing substantial declines in dam water levels compared to the previous year.

Maharashtra faces severe drought crisis before elections

Dam water levels in North Maharashtra are currently low at 41.4% capacity, compared to 57.5% last year. However, the dam water levels in the Nagpur division are much higher than last year. This year, the dam water level is at 50.7% capacity, compared to 33.3% at this time last year.

The severity of the situation is further highlighted by the substantial increase in the number of water tankers deployed across the state. Currently, 940 tankers are supplying water to 2,913 villages and hamlets, a stark contrast to last year when only 29 tankers were in operation, serving water to 94 villages.

Water tankers are currently delivering water to rural areas in Marathwada, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, and Beed districts. The Water Resources Department's 11 major dams only have 30 per cent of their water storage left.

The upcoming months of April and May might worsen the water crisis due to only 25 per cent water storage across 877 projects. Many villages rely heavily on these big dams for their water needs.

Specifically, Jaikwadi Dam has 24 percent water, Yeldari 41, Siddheshwar 57, Manjra 10, Upper Penganga 57, Lower Terna 6, Lower Manar 34, Vishnupuri 48, and Lower Dudhana 10 percent water left. Majalgaon and Sina Kolegaon dams have completely dried up. Wells and culverts have also run dry.

Pradeep Purandare, a retired associate professor at Aurangabad’s Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI), highlights that Maharashtra’s water crisis fundamentally arises from the state's inadequate water management practices.

He emphasizes, “We do not have water governance and we do not plan for water usage.” Purandare points out a significant issue: around 60% of water-intensive sugarcane crops are cultivated in the command area of irrigation projects, leading to substantial water consumption for irrigation purposes.

Situation worsened due to lack of rain

The Meteorological Department reported that Maharashtra experienced 49 per cent less rainfall from January to February 2024, with the most affected districts being in Marathwada. The districts in this region, such as Latur, Dharashiv, Bid, Hingoli, and Parbani experienced 100 per cent less rainfall than normal. Meanwhile, Nanded and Jalna received 49 per cent and 38 per cent less rainfall respectively.

Likewise, from March 1 to March 28, 2024, Marathwada as a whole experienced a rainfall reduction of 87 per cent. Meanwhile, Beed, Dharashiv, Hingoli, Jalna, and Parbhani saw a complete absence of rain, recording a 100 per cent decline. Latur suffered a 79 per cent reduction, Sambhaji Nagar a 99 per cent drop, and Nanded a decrease of 43 per cent in rainfall. Despite these reductions, it still rained during this period.

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