The Maharashtra Government would soon be demanding Rs 500 crore from the Central Contingency Fund for fighting drought in the State, said the Chief Minister, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, on Thursday.
Mr Chavan said that of the 355 taluks in the State, 79 have received less than 50 per cent rainfall. In 102 taluks, sowing is below 50 per cent. In such a situation, additional Central assistance is required.
The final quantum of assistance would be based on the assessment of a Central team, he said.
He said that the State Government is changing its policy for fighting droughts in those taluks that are facing drought for the second consecutive year. In such taluks, increasing last mile irrigation facilities and creating cement bunds for water conservation is being given a push.
New innovations like hydro-fracturing would also be tried in these areas. Hydro-fracturing is a method to renew bore wells, which involves injecting water under high pressure into the bedrock. Pumping water into the rock layers at very high pressures cleans the layers and allows it to interconnect with nearby water bearing areas.
White paper
Mr Chavan said that the recent initiative by the Government to come out with a white paper on irrigation, should not be read as witch-hunting against any person. It is a communication by the State Government to the people,
He said that Rs 80,000 crore would be required for completing all major irrigation projects in the State, while the department has a yearly budget of Rs 7,000 crore.