4,195 Maharashtra villages depend on tankers for water

As many as 4,195 villages and 10,570 hamlets in the state are being supplied water by tankers, officials told the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.u00a0

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A total of 5,171 water tankers are supplying water to drought-hit areas. Last year, the number of tankers at this time was 2,111, an official statement said.

Several villages in central and western Maharashtra are facing severe water scarcity. The backward region of Marathwada is the worst-affected.

Water stock in dams in Marathwada has fallen to five per cent of the total storage capacity compared to 29 per cent in 2011 and eight per cent last year.

Marathwada region, comprising eight districts including Aurangabad, Nanded, Latur, Jalna, Beed, Parbhani, Osmanabad, and Hingoli, has 803 major, medium and small sized dams.u00a0