Reliance Foundation Relief Operation: Marathwada Drought Relief
The Marathwada region of Maharashtra comprising the districts of Latur, Beed, Usmanabad, Parbhani, Nanded, Hingoli, Aurangabad and Jalna is parched. Repeated failures of monsoons over the years, depletion of water tables, and over exploitation of ground water have led to acute scarcity of water and crippled the region’s economy.
For the past seven years, Reliance Foundation (RF), through its flagship Rural Transformation programme, has been working to provide long- term solution to Maharashtra’s water woes. But the parched region needs immediate relief on a priority basis.
The Foundation team has identified sources of water, and has developed a system to deliver drinking water close to 50,000 families across 100 villages. Each village is supplied 2-4 tankers of water per day.
Moved by the plight of farmers, RF has embarked on its Reliance Foundation Relief Operation – Marathwada. An RF team, in collaboration with government agencies, conducted a recce and identified 100 most distressed villages in the four districts of Latur, Hingoli, Jalna and Nanded. The Foundation team has identified sources of water, and has developed a system to deliver drinking water close to 50,000 families across 100 villages. Each village is supplied 2-4 tankers of water per day. An efficient system, put in place by RF, ensures equitable and safe distribution of water. RF deployed water tankers to provide immediate relief till the monsoons arrive.
As a major step, Reliance Foundation has revived Sona River in Soygaon block in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. This project benefits 14,000 people and irrigates 2,500 acres of farm land in five villages –Amkheda, Galwada, Wetalwadi, Soygaon and Sonadwad. It also recharges more than 100 wells in the region and provides water for drinking and irrigation Click here to know more.