Maharashtra: Drought-affected Marathwada, Vidharbha to wait longer for rains, says IMD
A senior IMD official said that even as the Mumbai, Marathwada and Vidharbha will experience very less rainfall in June, the regions will see adequate downpour in July.
The people of Marathawada and Vidharbha in Maharashtra, who have been reeling under the impact of drought, will have to endure the pain a little longer. The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted that both the regions will get average to above average rainfall this year but they will have to wait a little longer for it.
Mumbai IMD Deputy Director General KS Hosilkar speaking to India Today TV said, "Marathwada and Vidharbha get rainfall from depression in the Bay of Bengal. We have noticed changes in the weather. Depression is developing, which is a positive sign for Marathwada and Vidharbha."
"Our predictions are that region will get good rainfall but they will have to wait a little longer," KS Hosilkar said, adding that southern monsoon has little effect on the rainfall in the two regions, instead the rains here are a result of the depression in the Bay of Bengal.
KS Hosilkar said that even as the Mumbai, Marathwada and Vidharbha will experience very less rainfall in June, the regions will see adequate downpour in July.
Drought in Maharashtra
The drought situation is grim in Maharashtra. The state has seven per cent of the required water in reserves. Most of the districts in Maharashtra have been declared drought-affected. In the worst affected regions like, Marathawada, the lack of adequate water supply has allowed tanker mafias to expand their illegal operations.
The government is trying hard to tackle the situation but high dependency on rainfall for water supply has left the government helpless.
According to sources, the Maharashtra government is planning to induce artificial rainfall. But any such action will be too little too late as it will likely fail to help severely affected areas. In some regions, people are travelling several kilometres for a bottle of water, which is not fit to drink. Animals and birds have been affected too. Many of the birds are dying due to dehydration.