Pune: NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the govt must prioritise the supply of water, fodder and employment while providing relief to drought-hit farmers in Maharashtra. Several villages are already grappling with water scarcity following deficient rainfall and the impact of El Nino.Pawar, who began his tour of drought-affected areas on Sunday, said he would visit villages and interact with farmers in Solapur, Dharashiv and Beed districts to assess the ground situation. After completing the visits, he would meet the chief minister and the Union ministers concerned to share his observations and suggest measures to support affected farmers.Referring to the water shortage in urban areas, including Pune, Pawar said the situation was concerning even in Oct, and that water availability would have to be managed until June next year. “The only way to deal with this is to use water judiciously,” he said.“Several villages, particularly in Beed, have already started receiving water through tankers. The situation needs urgent attention,” Pawar said, adding that there should be no politics over the drought and all political parties should come together to tackle the crisis.Pawar also said his family would not celebrate Diwali this year following the death of Ajit Pawar and in view of the prevailing drought situation in the state.Speaking on the opposition’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Pawar said the Centre should have taken a decision on the issue much earlier. “Its failure to do so left the opposition with no option but to stage a protest,” he added.Sharad Pawar visits ‘village for sale’ Tulshi, donates Rs 50 lakh for water conservationMonths after villagers symbolically put their village up for sale to protest the failure of the long-pending Sina-Madha lift irrigation scheme to provide assured water, former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar visited drought-hit Tulshi village in Madha tehsil on Sunday and announced financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh for the village’s water conservation efforts.During his visit, Pawar inspected drought-affected farms and interacted with villagers to understand the severity of the water crisis. “Pawar assured them that he would take up their long-pending demand for canal water with state govt,” sarpanch Sharad More told TOI.“After visiting the drought-affected farms, Pawar held a meeting with us and discussed the long-pending water issue. He promised to pursue the matter with state govt. Pawar also handed over a cheque of Rs 50 lakh for our water conservation work. This is a big relief as we will now be able to expedite the project,” More said.Tulshi had attracted widespread attention after villagers resorted to a symbolic ‘village for sale’ protest to highlight nearly 25 years of frustration over the failure of the Sina-Madha scheme. Initiated in 2000, the scheme has yet to provide assured irrigation water to the village.Meanwhile, villagers have begun developing water conservation infrastructure with the support of social organisations and veteran geologist Suresh Khanapurkar, who pioneered the Shirpur pattern of water conservation.A 200-metre-long, 20-metre-wide and 30-foot-deep water percolation project is currently underway. The village aims to develop 18 such percolation lakes to conserve rainwater during the next monsoon and improve groundwater availability.“Our plan is to have 18 such percolation lakes across the village. We need funds and support from different sectors to achieve this. Pawar’s financial assistance has come at a crucial stage,” More said.Despite the proposed conservation measures, villagers continue to demand a permanent solution to their irrigation crisis through assured canal water.
