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Farmers protest diversion of water to Marathwada

Mumbai: The diversion of water from upstream dams in the northern and western parts of Maharashtra to tackle acute scarcity in Marathwada, a backward part of the state, is causing tension with thousands of farmers protesting against the move.
The state's water resources minister, Girish Mahajan, faced protests in Nashik on Saturday, with farmers opposing the government's move to release water from dams along the Godavari to the Jayakwadi reservoir in Marathwada.
Politicians in Pune and other parts of western Maharashtra are also opposed to the release of water from local dams to Ujani reservoir in Solapur, to meet the drinking water needs of the city. Politicians in western Maharashtra claim there is an acute shortage of drinking water even in Pune, and the total capacity of dams in the district are much less than the capacity of Ujani reservoir.
Earlier this month, the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) upheld a decision of the Godavari Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation to release 12.85 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) from upstream dams in Ahmednagar and Nashik districts for the Jayakwadi irrigation project in Marathwada.
But politicians in northern Maharashtra, especially those controlling sugar mills, and with connections to the farm lobby, are opposed to the release of water. Marathwada in central Maharashtra is a drought-affected region, which perennially faces water shortage.
Politicians in northern Maharashtra claim that Jayakwadi, one of the largest irrigation projects in the state, has sufficient water for drinking purposes for cities in the region.
Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, a Congress legislator, and leader of the opposition in the state assembly, has said the diversion from upstream dams along the Godavari in northern Maharashtra would hurt farmers in the region. He claims northern Maharashtra is also facing water shortage.

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