📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Sanket Oswal
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Maharashtra Drought: Govt to Use Tankers Only as Last Resort, Water Schemes to Resume in 15 Days
✍️ Mid-Day
🗓 15 Oct 2026, 06:32 AM
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The state government said water tankers will be deployed only as a final measure while dormant irrigation projects are slated to be re‑activated within two weeks.
Mumbai – Maharashtra’s chief minister announced that water tankers will be employed only as a last‑ditch effort to alleviate the severe drought affecting large parts of the state. The decision follows weeks of falling reservoir levels and delayed monsoon rains that have left farmers and urban residents scrambling for water.
In a statement, the minister added that several water supply schemes that have been non‑functional for months will be brought back online within the next 15 days. Restoration work includes clearing silted canals, repairing pump stations and restarting lift irrigation projects that serve agrarian districts.
Officials warned that the tanker operation is costly and intended solely for emergency relief, urging communities to conserve water while the longer‑term schemes become operational. The government plans to monitor progress daily and will issue further updates as the revival of the schemes proceeds.
In a statement, the minister added that several water supply schemes that have been non‑functional for months will be brought back online within the next 15 days. Restoration work includes clearing silted canals, repairing pump stations and restarting lift irrigation projects that serve agrarian districts.
Officials warned that the tanker operation is costly and intended solely for emergency relief, urging communities to conserve water while the longer‑term schemes become operational. The government plans to monitor progress daily and will issue further updates as the revival of the schemes proceeds.