It was 12 hours late, it was carrying a smaller load than promised, but to the parched residents of Latur, it was a sight for sore eyes. Cheers filled the air as the water train finally entered the city early this morning carrying five lakh litres of water.

And then the posters appeared. Supporters of the ruling BJP climbed onto the train to plaster it with a poster thanking Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu for the intervention, reports NDTV.

Congress leaders, including the local mayor Akhtar Shaikh, who received the train said they deserve some recognition because the local corporation is run by their party.

At Latur station, the wagons were connected to plastic pipes which routed the water into a massive cement pipe freshly laid along the tracks. From there, the water flows into a massive well, owned by a local farmer and empty till this morning.

After filtering the water to make it fit for human consumption, the water will be sent in tankers to residents for whom this is much-needed relief. Nearly 50 lakh litres will be made available to five lakh residents of Latur.


Marathwada is facing one of its worst droughts in a century. Seven of the 11 major dams in the region have gone dry.