Water tanker demand dips 90% as rain lashes Marathwada

AURANGABAD: Steady rain in Marathwada over the last couple of weeks has brought much-needed relief to the parched region even as the number of tankers deployed has gone down by as much as 90%.

Such a huge decline in the number of tankers in the region has been witnessed for the first time this monsoon, a senior official of the Aurangabad divisional commissionerate told TOI on Tuesday.

Aurangabad divisional commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal said that if the rain continues for the next two weeks, the region will become free of water tankers.

"Until the last week of August, 741 water tankers were deployed in the eight districts of Marathwada. However, due to the heavy rain in the region, the number has been cut to 31," the divisional commissionerate official said on the condition of anonymity. "Parbhani, Hingoli, Nanded, Beed and Latur districts are now free of water tankers".

The official said that on Saturday itself, 73 of the 74 talukas in Marathwada region received an average rainfall of 29.56mm.

Latur district received the highest rainfall average rainfall in the last 24 hours, recording 42mm, with Chakur taluka itself recording 78.70 mm rainfall, he said.

Latur was followed by Nanded (38.5mm), Hingoli (37.4 mm), Parbhani (36.56 mm), Osmanabad (31.54 mm), Beed (29.54 mm), while the least was received by Aurangabad and Jalna districts with an average of 10 mm rainfall, the official said.

Since June this year, Aurangabad has received a total rainfall of 336.67mm, Jalna 298.44 mm, Parbhani 301.79 mm, Hingoli 359.31 mm, Nanded 337.51 mm, Beed 318.57 mm, Latur 380.92 mm and Osmanabad 378.81, thus the average rainfall of 339 mm in Marathwada region.

Weather department officials said the region is likely to receive drizzles for another couple of days, followed by light and moderate rain from the weekend.