Pune: Central Railway (CR) is open to operating special “water trains” to drought-hit districts of Maharashtra if state govt provides a source for the water, senior railway officials said. The railway zone had yet to receive a request from govt for the service, sources said.During the severe 2016 drought, special ‘Jaldoot’ trains made more than 100 trips to Latur, transporting over 24 crore litres of water. The first train, carrying 10 wagons with a combined capacity of 50,000 litres, rolled out from Miraj on April 11, 2016.“An adequate quantity of water needs to be provided to us first so that we can transport it. Our job is transportation and we cannot find a source of water,” CR chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila told TOI.Officials, however, said the scale of the current drought could make a repeat of the Latur operation more challenging. “This time, the drought has covered more than 70% of the state. It is not just Maharashtra; neighbouring states such as Karnataka and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have also declared a drought,” a railway official said.Unlike in 2016, when water could be sourced from one location and transported to a specific drought-hit district, the current situation involves several districts across multiple states, the official said.Govt on Sunday declared a drought in 265 of Maharashtra’s 358 talukas following deficient monsoon rainfall and prolonged dry spells that affected kharif crops. Collectors have been told to assess crop losses for relief and assistance.The monsoon is expected to retreat by Oct 8, but even should it rain, officials do not expect much relief. For now, CR is focusing on securing water for its own operations in drought-affected areas, such as Beed, Solapur and Kolhapur.“We are looking at ways to ensure adequate drinking water at several stations as well as water for other railway-related works. Our immediate focus is to ensure that passengers do not face any inconvenience,” Nila said.
