Mumbai: With temperatures soaring, the use of water tankers in the state has risen by 102 in the period of just one week. On April 15, as many as 478 water tankers were being used to ferry water in districts across the state. By April 21, the number had shot up to 580.
Of these, as many as 192 tankers or 33% of the total were being used for the arid district of Marathwada by April 21. Within the region, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was receiving 135 tankers.
After Marathwada, North Maharashtra was receiving the second-highest number of 135 from the 580 tankers. They were mainly being used in Ahilyanagar, which was receiving 82 tankers.
The sugar belt of Western Maharashtra was receiving 114 tankers. The Konkan division received 76 tankers and the Amravati division received 63 tankers by April 21.

Dam water storage has also dipped, although it is around 4% higher than it was at the same time last year. Live water storage in the state's dams is at 35.8% of capacity compared to 31.3% of capacity at this time last year.
Western Maharashtra has reported the lowest figure, with live water storage at 29.6% of capacity. In arid Marathwada, live water storage is 35.5% of capacity while in North Maharashtra, it is 39.8% of capacity.
In both Nagpur and Amravati division, the live storage is lower than it was last year. In Nagpur, it is 37.3% of capacity, while it was 43.2% at this point last year. In Amravati it is 45.7%, while it was 47% at this time last year. In Konkan too, the live water storage is 43%, which is lower than 44.5% at this time last year. Maharashtra's water crisis stems from the lack of water planning in the state, says water expert Pradeep Purandare, who retired from Aurangabad's Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI)."By the end of the monsoon in October, there is a clear idea of how much water will be available. The state should plan and begin restricting usage to prevent any shortages in the summer months," he said.
He is also critical of the

farm pond scheme

, which has led to a proliferation of farm ponds in the state. "The farm ponds are using groundwater. This results in water loss through evaporation. A portion of the water which was safely stored as ground water is lost through evaporation," he points out.