The GSDA has estimated that around 11,487 villages in 167 talukas would face water shortages from this month onwards.
Indicating the severity of drought and water scarcity in Maharashtra, a report by the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency has indicated that the groundwater levels in almost 14,000 villages in the state have fallen below the five-year average. The GSDA has estimated that around 11,487 villages in 167 talukas would face water shortages from this month onwards.
The GSDA report said that by September-end, the water levels recorded at the observation wells in all 353 talukas showed that the groundwater levels in 13,984 villages in 252 of the 353 talukas in Maharashtra had fallen by 1 metre below the recorded average for the same period in the last five years. “Of these, the reduction in groundwater levels is above 3 meters for 3,342 villages, two to three meters for 3,430 villages and in 7,212 villages, it is between one and two meters,” it said.
It also painted a bleak picture of the water supply situation in Maharashtra and noted that there was a rainfall deficit of over 20% in 185 talukas in 26 districts in the current year. “Of these 185 talukas, 167 with 11,487 villages have shown a fall of over one meter below the average groundwater level in October...” it added, stating that 2,941 villages in 114 talukas were likely to face water scarcity from October, 2,990 villages in 143 talukas in January and 5,556 villages in 167 talukas after April.
Sachin Sawant, general secretary and spokesperson, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, said how Prime Minister Narendra Modi had claimed that 16,000 villages in the state were drought-free and 9,000 were on the way to become so. The state government has claimed to have spent Rs 7,459 crore till date on the Jalyukta Shivar scheme to harvest rain water and said this has led to the number of tankers supplying water to scarcity-affected villages reducing by 80 per cent.
Oppn Attacks
- Opposition Congress accused PM of giving inaccurate info about drought in Maharashtra
- Party says there was corruption in state’s Jalyukta Shivar programme
- Congress has demanded a judicial probe into the water-saving scheme
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