Only 18 water tankers operational in Maha now as against 468 last Sept

Kolhapur: Only 18 water tankers are operational across Maharashtra, primarily Pune division, as most districts have become self-sufficient after bountiful rain helped recharge wells, groundwater and reservoirs this monsoon, water supply department data showed.
At the same time last year, Maharashtra had 421 villages and 1,643 hamlets dependent on 468 water tankers to meet their daily requirements, the data showed."This time around, only 18 tankers are currently operational across Maharashtra, supplying water to 12 villages and 35 hamlets in four districts in Pune division. Solapur district has the highest demand with eight water tankers currently operational there," a water supply department official said citing the data.
According to the water supply department, seven water tankers are operational in Satara district, while two in Sangli, and one in Pune district.
Except for Hingoli, rest of the districts in Maharashtra have either received excess or normal rainfall during the monsoon season so far, latest IMD data showed. As against a normal monsoon rainfall of 714.7mm till Sept 20, Hingoli has received just 468mm, which is 35% less than the normal rainfall for the period, the data showed.
Sangli and Ahmednagar top the monsoon chart in Maharashtra receiving 49% and 47% more than normal rainfall, respectively, this season so far. The IMD data showed that Satara and Solapur have received 15% and 10% higher-than-normal the normal rainfall, respectively.
Sangli was the most rain-deficient district in the last monsoon season when it had received just 63% of the normal monsoon rain. "The two water tankers are currently deployed in Jat tehsil. Last year, around 112 water tankers were operational in the district. The bountiful rainfall this monsoon has helped in recharging wells, borewells and reservoirs in the area," Sangli collector Raja Dayanidhi said.
During the heavy rain spell in July and Aug, the irrigation department had lifted water from the Krishna river and pumped it to drought-prone areas of Sangli district. Last year, the water scarcity started to show as early as Dec.