Drought threat looms large: Reservoirs in Maha almost dry up

Aurangabad: Only seven per cent of usable water remains in all the 814 water reservoirs across eight districts of Marathwada region in Maharashtra, leaving more than 870 villages parched.

The useful water in the 814 reservoirs stood at 38 per cent on the same date last year, officials said . As a result, more than 870 villages and 454 hamlets are parched and 1,188 tankers are supplying drinking water in the region, they said.

Aurangabad Divisional Commissioner Umakant Dangat had recently submitted a report to Drought Relief Commissioner Raghvendra Singh, who was here last week on a three-day tour for assessment of the drought situation in the region.

According to the data received from the Divisional Commissionerate, there are 11 major, 75 medium and 728 minor reservoir projects in the region.

Only eight per cent of usable water is remaining in all the major projects. The figure stood at 23 per cent on this day in 2014, and 40 per cent in 2013.

In the 75 medium projects, the usable water is seven per cent. It was 13 per cent in 2014, and 33 per cent in 2013. For the 728 minor projects, the situation is even worse. On an average, they have only five per cent of usable water, which was 33 per cent on the same day in 2014, as per the information received.

The Marathwada region has recorded only 186.69 mm of rains so far this year.

Though the Jayakwadi and Yeldari reservoirs have some per cent of drinking water left, the ones at Manjra, Lower Dudhna, Terna and Siddeshwar are left with no stock of drinking water, as per the report.

Osmanabad, Jalna, Latur and Beed districts are the worst-affected where drinking water is provided once in a fortnight.

The experimentation of cloud seeding for artificial rain in the region had also failed as according to the authorities, the clouds were not dense enough for the flairs to shoot for artificial precipitation.

Meanwhile, a flood warning has been issued to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and West Bengal due to possibility of heavy rainfall in the foothills of Himalayas over the next four days.

India Meteorological Department's (IMD) director general Laxman Singh Rathore said a monsoon trough will bring "heavy" to "very heavy rainfall" in the foothills of Himalayas.

"The rainfall will also lead to swelling of rivers Kosi, Gandak and Ghaghara, tributaries of Ganga and all tributaries of Brahmaputra.

"This will possibly lead to flooding of plains in East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and sub-Himalayan parts of West Bengal," Rathore said, after a high-level meeting convened by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The meeting was attended by Central Water Commission personnel and resident commissioners of all the concerned states.

He said the states which are likely to be affected have been asked to be in touch with the concerned agencies in case of any exigency.