<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/in-plane_3.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273" srcset="https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/in-plane_3.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273 400w, https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/in-plane_3.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551 800w" > Representational photo (Photo: K Sunil Prasad/ TOI, BCCL, BENGALURU )

The Maharashtra government's Rs 31-crore cloud seeding project might kick off soon. Three planes that will be used to artificially induce rains in drought-hit Aurangabad, Solapur and Nagpur arrived at Solapur airport on July 23. The cloud-seeding exercise is expected to start in late July, and go on till the first week of August.

Last week, state agriculture minister Anil Bonde had told The Times of India that all permissions have been acquired to carry out the mission. He added that three Doppler radars had been set up, and that seeding can be done in a 400-kilometre radius of every radar. The news of the arrival of the planes is an indicator that the exercise, which is already long delayed, is set to commence very soon.

Maharashtra's water crisis has been steadily worsening since last year, particularly in drought-hit Vidarbha and Marathwada. Nearly two months into the monsoon--that officially begins on June 1--Marathwada and Vidarbha are facing rainfall deficits of 34% and 41% respectively (as on July 24) while Maharashtra is experiencing an overall 10% shortfall in rainfall.

As on July 23, dams in the state have just 25% water stock, compared to 46.5% stock during the same time last year. Shockingly, dams in Marathwada have just 0.82% of water.

The Maharashtra state government had conducted a similar cloud-seeding experiment over Marathwada in 2015 at a cost of Rs 27 crore, and that was labelled a success. Karnataka, too, has reportedly successfully implemented cloud-seeding last year.

An opposition party leader recently said that 1300 farmers in Maharashtra had committed suicide due to drought in the last six months. NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik wrote a Tweet accusing the state government of being apathetic to the plight of farmers.