On May 6, 2019, the Election Commission relaxed the model code of conduct in Maharashtra to enable the government to carry out drought relief. It indicates the direst of situations. Another sharp indicator is the level of water storage in the state’s dams, which stands at 17.57 per cent, as opposed to 30.02 per cent in 2018.
Water level at dams in Aurangabad region, comprising Marathwada—the parched centre of Maharashtra’s fearsome drought—is at 4.93 per cent, as opposed to 25.96 per cent in 2018.