Good news! 25 lakh litres water sent to Latur, tweets Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday that 25 lakh litres of water had been dispatched to Latur.

Fadnavis psoted on micro-blogging site Twitter: "Special arrangements done in no time at Miraj to ensure that water is filled in wagons at a faster rate."

In another post he wrote: "And now, 50 wagons being filled up with drinking water at a time at Miraj, 25lakh lit water to be sent to Latur at once."

Special arrangements done in no time at Miraj to ensure that water is filled in wagons at a faster rate.#drought pic.twitter.com/7HIkNt0KFU

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) April 19, 2016

And now,50 wagons being filled up with drinking water at a time atMiraj;25lakh lit water to be sent to Latur at once pic.twitter.com/AIpI8rNcvR

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) April 19, 2016

Meanwhile, with only three percent water left in dams of drought-hit Marathwada region, the severity of the water crunch in Maharashtra has deepened, prompting the state government to ban digging of borewells below 200 feet to check further depletion of ground water.

The decision came close on the heels of cut in water supply to industrial units including breweries in the severely affected Aurangabad district.

Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Babanrao Lonikar said any violation of the decision on borewells will invite action under the 'Maharashtra Groundwater Development and Management Act' where violators may face fine or even imprisonment.

"The provisions of the act concerned has to be implemented strictly due to the severe drought conditions prevalent and the depletion of water stock. We have spoken to all senior officials and decided to ban the digging of borewells below 200 feet," Lonikar told reporters.

He said that with the amount of water being drawn out from the ground, it is imperative to control the digging of borewells, which will eventually help in averting drought-related problems.

According to an official of the Maharashtra Irrigation department, dams across the state have only 19 per cent water left compared to 32 percent at this time last year.

In Marathwada, eight of the region's 11 major dams are at dead storage level, which means water from the reservoirs cannot flow out but has to be lifted.

"It is down to only three percent," the official said.

This is a drastic decline in water storage as at this time last year, water level in Marathwada's dams was much higher at 11 percent, Aurangabad Divisional Commissioner Umakant Dangat told PTI today.

"We will also use the groundwater stock and as the IMD forecast is good, we hope that we will be able to carry on till the monsoon arrives," he said.

"We have already cut water supply to (the) industry. The collectors and divisional commissioners have been instructed that use of water for drinking is the top priority," Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan said.

As many as 2,745 water tankers are being used in the parched region compared to 939 at this time last year.

Lonikar said 4,356 tankers are currently being supplied by the state government, out of which, 52 are for Konkan, 831 for Nashik, 303 for Pune, 3,032 for Aurangabad, 131 for Amravati and 7 tankers for Nagpur divisions.

(With PTI inputs)