Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sep 25 Authorities in the Marathwada region have acquired more than 500 wells and deployed 246 tankers to supply drinking water to 142 villages and 91 hamlets that are reeling under an acute shortage due to poor rainfall, officials said on Friday.
According to official statistics, the drought-prone region, comprising eight districts, recorded just 442.4 mm of rainfall against an expected average of 679.5 mm.
The Marathwada region includes Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Parbhani, Nanded, Beed, Dharashiv, Hingoli and Latur.
The below-average rainfall this monsoon has triggered widespread water scarcity, forcing several villages to rely on tankers for drinking water supply.
To tackle the situation, the administration has acquired 512 wells across the region. Of these, 67 wells are dedicated to filling water tankers for transport, while 350 are directly connected to local village supply pipelines, a report from the Divisional Commissioner’s office stated.
As per district-wise data, Latur accounts for the highest number of acquired wells at 225, followed by Dharashiv with 184, Beed with 48, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar with 26, Jalna with 24, and Parbhani with 5. No wells have been acquired in Nanded or Hingoli districts so far.
As of September 21, a total of 246 tankers have been pressed into service across four affected districts — Beed (120), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (96), Jalna (22), and Dharashiv (8) — currently catering to 142 villages and 91 hamlets.
Official rainfall data till Thursday stated that the region received only 442.4 mm of rainfall against the seasonal average of 679.5 mm, with Latur being the worst-affected district, having recorded just 51 per cent of its expected rainfall.
(PTI News)
