Beed: Drought-Hit Georai Farmers Seek Permanent Water Pipeline, Submit Memorandum To Sunetra Pawar

Beed's Georai tehsil farmers have once again pleaded with the state administration for a permanent water solution to combat recurrent drought. In a memorandum given to Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, the delegation of farmers and activists urged the diversion of surplus water from the Godavari river basin and the Paithan Right Bank Canal to key local reservoirs via lift pipelines or sub-canals.

Six reservoirs - Chaklamba, Shekta, Bangali Pimpla, Gorakshnath Kumbhajalgaon, Govindwadi and Georai - were singled out as priorities. The farmers claimed that replenishing these reservoirs annually could sustain water bodies, streams, and groundwater for up to three years. "Generations of farmers have endured merciless drought," the memorandum emphasized, adding that pipeline water from Shahagad, Panchaleshwar, or Gulaj could irrigate thousands of hectares of barren land.

They argued that a permanent pipeline would cut the government's continual spending on drought relief, including water tankers, cattle camps, and temporary drinking arrangements. The petition is not new, as farmers have been lobbying the state since 2012, submitting records of past protests, memorandums, and unfulfilled promises alongside this latest representation.

Copies of the memorandum were handed to the Chief Minister, Water Resources Department, local leaders, and community representatives. The delegation comprised farmer activist Manoj Patil, Laxman Aaher, Irshad Bhai, Abasaheb Aaher, Ramchandra Kale, Balasaheb Aaher, and Machhindra Karbhari, all representing farmers from Khalegaon and neighboring villages in Georai tehsil.