Scarcity in Marathwada: Principal secretary takes stock

Summer mercury rose; Risk of water shortages increase

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: On Tuesday, the principal secretary of the state, Manukumar Srivastava, reviewed the water storage, fodder availability, ground water level, and subsidy for drought relief through video conferencing. The impact of 'El Nino' on the department was also discussed in the conference.

In Marathwada, unseasonal rains have caused damage to crops while the summer season has caused a rise in temperature. As a result, there is a high possibility of facing drought in some districts of the division in the coming days.

Srivastava has instructed the divisional administration to plan for the months of July-August, keeping in mind the severe shortage situation. Marathwada received heavy rainfall in the last monsoon as compared to other parts of the State. However, although the ground water level is quite high, 11 big dams currently have only 60 percent water storage, and if the temperature increases in the next two months, it is likely to affect the water storage.

The administration has claimed that drinking water will be available in 76 tehsils of the division by August 2023. To address the shortage situation, a special action plan of Rs 100 crore has been proposed for measures until June 2023. The conference was attended by revenue deputy commissioners Parag Soman, Samiksha Chandrakar, chief engineer S Gawli, Tehsildar Narendra Kulkarni, and others were present.

Chief secretary's instructions

Due to intense heat in Marathwada, water is evaporating on a large scale. There is a possibility that the monsoon will be affected due to the activation of ocean currents called 'El Nino'. Srivastava gave suggestions for the tendering process of the tankers required in the division, fixing the source of water, installing GPS systems in the tankers, keeping works ready in every village to provide work to everyone's hands in case of shortage.