IPL Vs Drought: No T20s in Maharashtra After April 30

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Maharashtra is facing the worst drought this year. With no signs of early monsoon the situation is only getting scarier day by day. Meanwhile, with the start of IPL 9, a pertinent question has come to the fore, whether the scheduled 19 IPL 2016 matches should be played in Maharashtra or not? A petition has been filed in this regard by by Loksatta movement and Foundation for Democratic Reforms Organization in the Bombay High Court.

At least 7 million litres of water would be required for pitch maintenance purposes for these IPL clashes. The Bombay High Court yesterday ordered the shifting of remaining 13 matches to be played in Maharashtra in May outside the state. It means that after April 30, no IPL matches will be played in parched Maharashtra as per the recent ruling by the court.

A couple of days back, the Board of Cricket Control for India (BCCI) has announced that only treated sewage water will be used for IPL matches in Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune. But with the High court’s verdict, BCCI will now have to completely alter its schedule.

Earlier, there were some heated arguments in the court with Justice VM Kanade saying, you can’t waste water like this. Do you know what is the condition? In Marathwada, people get water only after 4-5 days.”

Marathwada and Vidarbha have not even adequate amount of sufficient potable water for drinking purpose and meeting the basic needs of the people. Drawing flak of the opposition for rising water crisis in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated to media that “Water is more important for us than cricket and the government won’t object if all the Scheduled IPL matches in Maharashtra are shifted outside the state this year”.

Water Crisis in Marathwada and Vidarbha: An overview

With more than 55 farmers’ suicides this year alongside complete chaos over a water shortage in Maharashtra, especially in the regions comprising the parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha, the first question that comes to people’s mind is what prompted Water shortage in Maharashtra? Here are some possible causes:

1. Bad monsoon and inadequate rainfall in the state for the last three years in a row.
2. Infrastructural hindrance in the parched parts of the state makes it more difficult for the administration to supply water to people residing in drought-hit areas.
3. The water reservoirs and dams in the state are rapidly drying up.
4. Decline in groundwater level in Maharashtra is certainly a matter of deep concern.
5. Agriculture in the state is badly affected due to acute water scarcity.
6. The mushrooming of Sugarcane industry in another possible cause for water shortage in the state. The sugarcane production uses up around 60% of Maharashtra’s irrigation water.

What the People should do?

Water scarcity in Maharashtra is a severe crisis and needs multipronged strategy to tackle the same. It is high time when people should start initiating rain water harvesting and ground water harvesting as early as possible.

Water scarcity is not just an issue in Maharashtra but in several other Indian states too. As many as the country’s 302 out of 676 districts across 10 states are facing drought like situation. So it is important for everyone to become aware of it. IPL in many ways has opened the eyes of the people about water scarcity; otherwise they might have remained oblivious to the same.