Marathwada water crisis: Villagers threaten of committing 'mass suicide'

The residents of the drought-stricken Marathwada region have been protesting for over a month against the state government for not releasing water from the Jayakwadi dam to the Godavari River.

Aurangabad (Maharashtra): With the Marathwada region in Maharashtra suffering from a severe drought for over 10 years, the residents of over 70 villages in the region on Tuesday have threatened to intensify their agitation and commit mass suicide if the water is not released into the Godavari river within two days.

The residents of the drought-stricken region have been protesting for over a month against the state government for not releasing water from the Jayakwadi dam to the Godavari River.

With the mercury levels shooting up in the state, the Godavari river, serving as a lifeline for the people in the region, has dried up completely.
Jayajirao Suryavanshi, Chairman of the regional farmers association, said, "If the authorities do not release water for us in the next two days, we will intensify our agitation. We will have to commit mass suicide."

"People are distressed due to the water crisis. We have been fighting this situation for a long time," added Suryavanshi.

Accusing the government of not paying heed to the grievances of the people of Marathwada, Suryavanshi alleged, "the region has been facing a drought-like situation since 1972, and the water is being released from the dam for people in the cities but not for the villagers."

Ashok, one of the protestors, said, "we have been protesting for so long. Now, we have lost hope in the government. All that we can do is pray to the almighty that better sense prevails on these politicians and they look into our issues and help us."

Jayakwadi dam, one of the largest dams that supplies water to three districts in the area, is also facing acute water shortage, as the water level has touched an all-time low.