Water crisis in Marathwada region may worsen

aurangabad:while stressing the need for co-ordination between various departments the issue of water scarcity, aurangabad divisional commissioner v. ramani said the water situation in marathwada region would be more critical this year due to heavy depletion in groundwater level. speaking at a workshop the amrutdhara jal abhiyan organised by the aurangabad district collectorate and zilla parishad here recently, ramani said more than 800 tankers would be deployed this year in view of the widespread drought-like situation.barring parbhani and nanded districts, the overall situation in marathwada region would be critical, he said. the divisional commissioner said he was prepared to increase the number of water tankers, provided there were more sources to get water from. ramani said the sugarcane crop, which consumed a lot of water, was promoted on a large scale. “there is a strong need to announce disincentive schemes for crops consuming more water,� he said. he stressed the need for taxing water for safeguarding natural resources. “otherwise, people will not realise the value of water,� he added. water management expert madhavrao chitale, social workers vijayanna borade and popatrao pawar, and aurangabad zilla parishad’s chief executive officer vijay singhal also spoke on the occasion.