As far as the estimation goes, there are about 330 million people in India are affected by the severe drought like situation in the country. Following this, the water crisis has gripped the nation with full force. There cannot be anymore emphasis provided on the fact that the Marathwada region of Maharashtra is seeing one of the worst times in terms of water crisis and drought-like situation. All this is the reaction of severe heatwave prevailing layered with high risen temperatures.
Post the good monsoon of 2013, this is the third year in row where the drought like situation has occurred. And the shortage of rainfall has made the situation even worse.
Skymet Weather predicts that there will be above normal monsoon with 105% of rainfall happening over the country in 2016. But even if the rainfall is above average, it will not occur any time before mid-June. Till then, the region has to bear the brunt of severe heatwave.
Due to extreme scarcity of water, people are drinking any kind of water available. A rise in cases of kidney stones has been reported in the region. Jaldooth, the train carrying water to Latur is providing some respite in the region but the people in the adjoining areas of Latur are observing similar conditions.
Children in Belkund village are drinking unfiltered water, which is leading to health problems like diarrhea and kidney stones.
Suvarna Vilas Chapte, 24, from Hadolati village was admitted to the hospital just a few hours before her delivery as she developed gastric problems due to drinking unclean and unfiltered water.
A mother of three from Gangapur village near Latur developed kidney stones after consuming unfiltered water for the past four months.
Ram Chandra Eknath Shinde, the village leader in Latur is saying that the people are fleeing the villages in search of better life conditions – even if it requires the farmers to work as daily wage laborer in metro cities.
Around 2500 villagers from Devadurga, Lingsugur and Surpur taluks of Raichur and Yadgir districts of Karnataka have moved to the slums of Bangalore begging at construction sites for unskilled work.
Around 200 mini–buses working day in and out, post enduring 14 hour long journey dropping them off at the slums of Bangalore.
Guddamma Matlu a farm labourer of Gonjanur village in Yadgir district shares her plight, "There is no water. For three years, we have had no crop. We have no option but to leave our homes and farms and go to Bangalore. Whatever we earn, it will be more than what we have."
Another villager, Bhagavanta Kodaginahalli of Devadurga in Raichur district says, “We have six acres of land on which we grew jowar and sajje (pearl millet) but now all gone. I was a landowner, now I will be a construction laborer." he said with sad humour.
A village in Latur district – Togri, which is just 5 kilometers away from the Latur district – is having similar conditions like Latur but only three tankers of water is provided in the village every day. "We could also do with a water train like the one that went to Latur. Our situation is the same," said shopkeeper Sudhakar Sangshetty Gurnjate at Kamalnagar.
The temperatures have soared over 40 degree Celsius over Marathwada, Telangana and several other areas with minimum temperatures settling around 38 degree Celsius. Clear skies and the geographical location have made it impossible for any weather activity to form over the region. Only a good and sufficient monsoon can lessen the plight of the people living there.
Story Source Al Jazeera and Economic Times
Image Credit: The New Indian Express