The parched region of Latur in Maharashtra that was reeling under severe water crisis and heatwave conditions received heavy spells of pre-monsoon showers in the past 24 hours. The city still gets its water supply through trains from Miraj since April 12, but it might not need it as Monsoon is just around the corner.
Since June 1, Latur has received 121.9% of normal rainfall i.e. 65.1 mm of rain has occurred over the region, the highest in Marathwada region. Last year by June 10, Latur received only 52.3% of expected rainfall.
The entire region of Marathwada has received 34.6 mm rain till June 10, which stands at 64.7% of the normal rainfall of this period.
Water levels of borewells have increased marginally and helped the people who choose rainwater harvesting. The pre-Monsoon rains have recuperated rivers in Latur like Terna river barrage is almost filled to the top.
Mahadev Gomare, a farmer said, "A 4.5 km stretch near the Terna river barrage in Aurad Shahajani in Nilanga taluka was taken up for de-silting. An average of 3m-deep and 50m-wide silt was removed from the stretch to make room for storing over 67 crore litres of water.”
But there is still a massive gap between the rivers overflowing and rivers & reservoirs drying up. Most of the 814 dams in the region show dead storage. The few reservoirs are still at just 1% of water levels at the moment.
Marathwada also uses water tankers to fulfill its water needs. There are currently over 4000 water tankers used until last week. Last year around 1,860 tankers were pressed into service when there was a water shortage in the region.
It will take 2 to 3 days for Monsoon to reach Marathwada and with promising pre-Monsoon showers, Marathwada region is likely to have above normal rainfall.
Originally Published in Times Of India
Image Credit: OneIndia