First the deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and after him actor Aamir Khan vowed for drought free Maharashtra. “Our mission is to create a drought-free and prosperous Maharashtra, by fostering social unity and providing scale to proven solutions and technologies,” this pledge unfortunately went in vain. Many tehsils in Vidarbha and Marathwada are reeling under drought like situation that too in November.
In April 2016, Maharashtra operated the water train to supply drinking water to drought-affected Latur. In the same year, the state government embarked on its Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan to become drought free by 2019. Despite the ambitious plan, 40 percent of the state is reeling from drought and its water tanker economy is booming. All the schemes were aimed at making Maharashtra a drought-free state by deepening and widening streams as well as constructing cement and earthen stop dams, nullahs and digging farm ponds. But, as of February 2019, the state government declared drought in 151 of the 358 talukas. In these talukas, 28,524 villages have been declared drought-affected. Of this, 112 are severely drought hit. Opposition members and activists targeted the government for the situation. However, the ruling party and the government officials defended their work, claiming that the year prior rainfall was extremely low.
Nevertheless, Devendra Fadnavis ordered a survey on the linking of rivers in the Krishna and Bhima sub-basins. This project aims to divert the excess water from the flood-prone rivers of Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara districts to the drought-prone regions of Marathwada, Solapur and Pune. This idea has not gone down well among the experts. They have questioned this kind of statistical or mathematical hydrology that calculates surplus and deficit basins on two grounds. They straightaway pointed out that environmental hydrology is more relevant in the age of climate change, which says there is nothing like surplus and deficit basins and natural course of rivers should not be meddled with. Secondly, experts have also argued that these water calculations are often dated and proven to be unreliable.
As no water to the tap and even wells run dry people start to extract groundwater, perpetuating water scarcity. As there is no option left before the people, they start extracting groundwater even if the dry spell extends for 10 days.
The BJP-led government came to power in Maharashtra in October 2014 riding on the back of a multi-crore irrigation scam. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had then not just promised the state that those found guilty in the scam would be punished but also that the state would turn away from non-performing large dams and lift irrigation schemes to more smaller water conservation projects. Five years later neither of these promises seem to have held any good. The inquiries by the Anti Corruption Bureau have netted some officials and a couple of contractors, the main accused in the scam is still at large.
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