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Maharashtra Drought: Train Carrying 25 Lakh Litre Water Reaches Latur

Train Carrying 25 Lakh Litre Water Reaches Drought-Ridden Latur
LATUR, INDIA - APRIL 12: Water express is decanted at Latur Railway Station on April 12, 2016 in Latur, India. Special train carrying five lakh litres of water for the drought-hit Marathwada region reached its destination after 350 KM journey. The water was poured into a privately owned well acquired by the government near Latur Railway Station. From the well, the district administration will take the water to a purification centre in the city, from where it will be distributed using tankers or the existing distribution network. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
LATUR, INDIA - APRIL 12: Water express is decanted at Latur Railway Station on April 12, 2016 in Latur, India. Special train carrying five lakh litres of water for the drought-hit Marathwada region reached its destination after 350 KM journey. The water was poured into a privately owned well acquired by the government near Latur Railway Station. From the well, the district administration will take the water to a purification centre in the city, from where it will be distributed using tankers or the existing distribution network. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

MUMBAI -- After nine trips by a 10-wagon water train, a 50-wagon water train carrying 25 lakh litre water reached parched Latur today.

The train, christened 'Jaldoot', left Miraj in western Maharashtra at around 11 PM last night, for drought-hit Latur city, a distance of around 342 kilometres.

So far, 70 lakh litre water has been delivered by train to Latur, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.

The train had previously made nine trips, each time carrying 5 lakh litres of water, to the parched city.

The 50-wagon train received a grand welcome at the Latur Railway Station on its arrival. Latur city mayor Akhtar Mistry, welcomed the 'Jaldoot Express', which was specially commissioned from Kota in Rajasthan to transport water to the 5 lakh people of Latur.

The train is a big relief for Latur citizens who have been struggling to get drinking water, the mayor said.

The 'Jaldoot' first made its trial run on 11 April. The train initially faced several clearance issues due to the single line section from Miraj to Latur.

As a result the first train had reached Latur in 17 hours.

However, the railways then pulled all stops to ensure that the train was given all the clearances during the journey. Subsequently, the train took just 8-9 hours to reach Latur.Once it arrived in six and a half hours.

The Solapur division of Central Railway ensured that 'Jaldoot' Express navigated the tracks without any hitch, and the Pune division of the Central Railway took care of the loading of water at the Miraj Railway station.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.