MUMBAI: Maharashtra is facing an acute drinking water shortage with Marathwada, Pune, and North Maharashtra regions facing a difficult situation.
According to the state’s water resource department, there is 8% less drinking water in the state reservoirs this year than the previous year. The reservoirs’ water level was depleting speedily.
“This year, in all major drinking water supplying dams, only 34% water remained against 42% last year. The worst affected regions are Marathwada and Pune where only 19% and 33% drinking water is left in the respective regions’ reservoirs. They are followed by 37% of water in north Maharashtra’s major water supplying reservoirs,” said a report of the state water resources department.
In Maharashtra, there are 138 major reservoirs supplying drinking water. But this year, the water level is depleting speedily in the summer. This year, the Nagpur division reservoirs have got satisfactory water storage that is 46% against 21% storage last year while Amarawati division of Vidarbha has also got 43% water in its reservoirs this year against the same percentage of water last year as well.
But badly affected regions are North Maharashtra and Marathwada regions where people go far in search of drinking water. In Marathwada, this year only 19% storage of drinking water against 40% water last year while in Pune, this year, 33% water storage against 44% last year and in North Maharashtra, there is 37% water storage against 53% last year and in the Konkan region, this year there is 42% water storage against 46% last year.
The Jayakwadi reservoir is the major source of drinking water supply in the Marathwada region and the industrial area of Sambhaji Nagar. But this year, it has got only 18% water left against 52% last year. In North Maharashtra, the Bhawali and Chanakapur reservoirs have only 13% and 12% of drinking water left respectively against 46% and 82% the previous year. In Solapur, Bhima Ujani has zero percent drinking water left compared to 22% last year.