30 August,2023 07:07 PM IST | Latur | mid-day online correspondent
Representative image. Pic/File/iStock
Farmers in central Maharashtra's Latur district are facing a crisis due to a severe rainfall deficiency in August. The agriculture department has also received several complaints about substandard soybean seeds, officials said, according to the PTI.
As August witnessed a long dry spell, crops are withering in many places, local sources said, reported the PTI.
As many as 368 farmers have complained to the agriculture department that the soybean seeds distributed to them did not germinate. Most of these farmers are from Ausa and Nilanga tehsils in Latur district, said an official, as per the PTI.
"So far 368 complaints regarding soybean not germinating have been received. Panchanama (spot inspection) of 342 places was conducted and 28 farmers were given new seeds. The rest of the panchanamas will be completed soon, " district superintendent agriculture officer Shivsamb Ladke told the PTI.
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In some cases farmers complained that they could not irrigate the fields using water from wells and borewells as the transformers of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) were not working and the power supply was erratic.
Farmer and activist Sudhir Salunkhe claimed that four transformers in Panchincholi and Anandwadi area burnt and farmers get electricity supply only for eight hours a day.
Meanwhile, even as the water stock in lakes reaches 90 per cent, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is hoping for a few more large showers. The city needs 1.43 lakh million litres of water to reach 100 per cent water stock.
"An average of 30 to 40 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in the catchment area of important lakes on Saturday and Sunday. Similar rainfall is expected to continue," said an official. "However, there were no showers recorded in most of the catchment area on Monday. Yet, there is a rise in lake levels as rainwater comes from streams into the lakes," added the official.
By the end of September, the BMC expects around 14.47 lakh million litres of water to be collected in all lakes. For this to happen, continuous rains are necessary.
According to data till Monday morning, there is 13.03 lakh million litres of water in all lakes, which is 90.09 per cent of total capacity. Last year, on the same day, water stock was 97.03 per cent, which is 14.04 lakh million litres. In 2021, on the same day, water stock was 12.76 lakh million litres, which is 88.19 per cent.
(with PTI inputs)
