Being ostriches...
While we in Mumbai merely read about the news of drought, the situation is very much a reality in interior parts of the state.
In fact the drought situation has intensified in Maharashtra with just 18.51% live storage left in dams, 8.5 lakh livestock in fodder camps and 12,000 villages and hamlets depending on water tankers. Things are expected to get only worse for Marathwada and Vidarbha (Nagpur) regions, where storage levels have depleted to 5 and 10 per cent, respectively.
Data on the State Water Resources Department website shows that as at 3rd May, 3267 major, medium and minor dams in the State have just 18.51% live storage v/s 29.95% (YoY). 18 major projects in the State don’t have live storage.
And the most disturbing news of all – Maharashtra has become a ‘tanker’ state. There are currently some 4,774 water tankers plying in the State v/s 937 tankers deployed to quench the thirst of villagers.
When we read such news, it does fill the heart with a sense of dread. Reality is that we are fast running out of water and yet, no one, not a single manifesto or political party even talks about measures taken to tackle water scarcity.