Rainfall Surplus but Water Scarce: Marathwada's Paradox

Despite receiving significantly more rainfall than average this year, Marathwada region in central Maharashtra still faces water scarcity issues. An official report highlights that 427 villages and 106 hamlets rely on water tankers due to insufficient water in reservoirs. Efforts are ongoing to mitigate the shortfall.

Despite higher-than-expected rainfall this year, the Marathwada region in central Maharashtra faces a perplexing water scarcity. According to an official report, 427 villages and 106 hamlets continue to depend on water tankers.

By the end of July, the region's eight districts recorded 412.9 mm of rainfall, 28.95 percent above the average of 320.2 mm for the period. However, reservoirs and other water sources remain critically low, forcing authorities to deploy 682 tankers for emergency water supply to affected areas including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Hingoli, Nanded, and Dharashiv districts.

Notably, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar saw the highest reliance: 239 villages and 3 hamlets utilize 356 tankers. In contrast, districts Parbhani, Latur, and Beed currently report no tanker usage. The region's 877 irrigation projects have a collective storage capacity of 8,155.12 million cubic meters, but only 17.77 percent were filled as of July 31, equating roughly to 1,400 MCM.

(With inputs from agencies.)