NCP chief Sharad Pawar and state Minister for Rural Development Pankaja Munde undertook a tour of the region.
The drought situation in eight districts in Marathwada region is taking a turn for worse with the water table dropping to 7% in all the 814 dams in the region. The average rainfall in Marathwada is alarming with just 39.3 mm rainfall being recorded in Aurangabad district since June this year, while the lowest average rainfall of 17.5 mm being registered in Beed district. The situation in the region is so grave that of the total 1,578 water tankers deployed across the state, 719 are being used in eight districts of Aurangabad Division alone.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar and state Minister for Rural Development Pankaja Munde undertook a tour of the region and a team of bureaucrats from the Centre, headed by Additional Secretary Agriculture Ministry, Raghvendra Singh, is also on a tour of the region to assess the situation. Talking to reporters here today, Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Eknath Khadse said the August 6 experiment in cloud seeding in Ahmednagar and Beed districts has resulted in 5 mm excess rainfall (than the average).
A maximum of 33 mm of rainfall was recorded in Erandgaon village in Ahmednagar district, while lowest, 12 mm, was recorded in Nevasa Khurd village in Ahmednagar. Khadse said as per the Agriculture Ministry norms any rainfall in excess of 5 mm is considered good enough for Kharif crops to survive. He also stated that resowing is needed in six lakh hectares of cultivated land, out of which, two lakh hectares is under Rabbi crop cultivation in Ahmednagar and Solapur districts.
Meanwhile, the central team led by Raghvendra Singh reached Aurangabad for the assessment of drought situation in Marathwada region today. Singh conducted a meeting of top officials of the region. "Shortage of rain in the region has left 870 villages and 454 hamlets affected and has created a bad situation for the people and cattle," Divisional Commissioner Umakant Dangat informed Singh during the meet.
The team will start visiting villages and hamlets in Osmanabad, Beed, Latur, Aurangabad and Jalna districts from tomorrow.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "drought")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}