It has been over a month since people from 70 villages in the Marathwada region, which is marred by severe drought for the past ten years, have been protesting against the government for not releasing water from the Jayakwadi dam to the Godavari River.
With the mercury shooting up in the state, the river, which is the lifeline of the people in the region, has dried up completely.
On Tuesday, the protesters threatened to intensify their agitation and commit mass suicide if water is not released into the Godavari within a stipulated time of two days.
Jayajirao Suryavanshi, Chairman of regional farmers association, told , "People are distressed due to the water crisis. We have been fighting this situation for a long time."
Alleging that the region has been facing a drought-like situation since 1972, Suryavanshi said that the government is not paying heed to their demands. "Water is being released from the dam for people in the cities but not for the villagers. 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."
Ashok, a local, 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 in 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.
( With inputs from ANI )