Government lists steps taken to mitigate drought

The state government has claimed in the Bombay high court that the administration is taking every effort to resolve the water crisis on a war footing in the state.

The high court was hearing a petition filed by activist Sanjay Lakhe Patil who was seeking the appointment of an emergency committee in every district to deal with the drought-like situation.

In the last hearing, the court had rapped the state government for not filing a reply on time.

Accordingly, an affidavit was filed in the court, wherein the government has claimed that in the month of October, due to lack of rain, the state government had declared drought in 151 areas in Maharashtra. It also stated that planning has been done at the district level, borewell digging is being carried out, pipelines are being repaired, and the depth of wells is being increased and water has been transported to parched areas via tankers and bullock carts.

The government claimed that the state irrigation department has carried out the Jalyukt Shivar scheme to preserve water in every village. Since February 8, the state government has taken a decision to distribute food grains to eligible people under the National Food Security Act.

Due to the drought, 33 per cent crops have died, therefore the state government has made available Rs 4,909 crore as a subsidy to farmers. A district-level mechanism has deposited this amount into 67,32,096 farmers’ bank accounts, the state said in court.