Even as the State expects the onset of monsoon within the next few days, worries of drought-affected Marathwada region are far from over as dams in the region are virtually left with no water.
On Wednesday, major dams in the region recorded zero per cent water availability while medium and small projects carry two and one per cent water of their total water capacity.
Marathwada, in 2015, was left with 5 per cent on this day while it carried around 19 per cent water in 2014.
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The condition of the State is no better. On an average, all State dams carry only 10 per cent of their total storage capacity.
According to sources in the State government, virtually all dams are left with dead storage and at some places, users are left with no option but to use it. Dead storage in a dam refers to water that lies beneath the elevation of the dam’s lowest outlet.
While Marathwada dams are left with no water, the Pune division too is fighting a battle as the region records storage of only 7 per cent of its total capacity. This is the lowest the region has reached in the last three years on this day.
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As the surface water storage is on the verge of disappearance, almost 3,894 tankers are presently providing water to Marathwada region by extracting groundwater. According to researchers, this may lead to another major problem which is a further drop in the groundwater table.
“The condition has turned worse. With ever decreasing surface water levels, people have naturally turned to groundwater by digging deeper. It is likely to worsen the situation if not regulated,” said Parineeta Dandekar of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People.
According to Pradeep Purandare, a well-known researcher on water issues in Marathwada, implementing law to regulate groundwater use is extremely difficult. “The ever depleting water level is nothing new as the authorities are aware of it. People will dig deeper if they are left with no option. I fear that the condition may turn scarier if this continues,” he said.