HC tells MWRRA to hear out drought-hit Solapur farmers

The Bombay High Court today directed the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) to hear the grievances of farmers in Solapur, which is facing a drought situation as the Ujjani dam has run dry.
A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sanklecha was hearing a petition filed by Solapur-based farmer association Mohol Taluka Bahu Uddeshiya Shetkari stating that the authorities concerned are not implementing provisions for equitable water distribution.
According to the petition, due to this, the Ujjani dam, which provides water to Solapur district, has dried up.
The bench was on the last hearing informed that the MWRRA which is the authority to hear such disputes is not functioning as the post of chairman and member was lying vacant since last year.

The court had then directed the government to fill up the vacancy at the earliest.
Government pleader S S Shinde informed the court that the authority was now functioning.

The court directed the petitioner to submit their representation before the MWRRA within three days after which the authority shall take its decision within ten days thereafter.
On April 9, the High Court had directed government to release water from other dams to the low lying Ujjani dam, where water has gone below the required level thereby affecting agricultural activities, within 24 hours.
Shinde told the court that water has been released from two dams Bhama Askhed and Andra but it would take 15 days more to reach Ujjani dam. He added that until then the government was supplying 500 water tankers to the drought hit regions on a daily basis.

According to the petition, due to scanty rainfall the area has been hit by a drought after which petitioners had brought to the notice of the authorities that the water level of the dam has gone down.
The petition states that Ujjani also known as Bhima dam is part of the Bhima irrigation project along the Bhima river tributary which caters to 22 other dams.