The current water stock of the dams in Maharashtra has dipped to 23.63 per cent and water is being provided through 3,692 tankers in 2,973 villages and 7,671 hamlets spread across 25 districts across the state due to scarcity, officials said on Friday.

The situation this year is much more serious than last year.

This year, the aggregate water stock in 2,994 dams in Maharashtra stands at 23.63 per cent at present as compared to 33.59 per cent on this day (May 24) last year.

Division-wise, 920 dams in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar currently hold only 9.55 per cent water stock, Pune 17.59 per cent, Nashik 25.74 per cent, Konkan 37.11 per cent, Nagpur 38.83 per cent, and Amravati 39.94 per cent, the figures issued by the irrigation department said.

On May 15 last year, a total of 334 villages and 774 hamlets were being provided water through 245 tankers.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division has borne the maximum brunt of water scarcity with 1,256 villages and 506 hamlets being provided water through 1,849 tankers. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district has 708 tankers to provide water to 435 villages and 65 hamlets, an official release said.

In Nashik division, 756 villages and 2570 hamlets are being supplied water from 812 tankers, while in Pune division 631 villages and 3,829 hamlets are getting water from 755 tankers.

In Konkan, 232 villages and 766 hamlets are being provided water from 177 tankers, Amravati division's 87 villages are being provided water from 92 tankers. In Nagpur 11 villages are getting water through seven tankers.

There is 55.09 per cent storage in all dam projects in the state as compared to 80.94 per cent last year. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division has 31.93 per cent storage, the official release said.

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