Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | A farmer in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was forced to cut down 300 sweet lime trees amid an acute water shortage in the drought-prone Marathwada region.

Rajendra Lembhe felled the 11-year-old trees on his farm in Murma village of Paithan tehsil on Saturday after two wells he sourced water from became dry.

Talking to PTI, Lembhe said, "It was painful to cut down the trees with a JCB machine. But I had no way out. I have a 300-foot-deep bore well and a 70-foot-deep well, but both have gone dry in the last three months." There has been no significant rainfall in the region since August last year, he said.

Lembhe said he tried to save the trees by sourcing water from tankers but could not bear the expenses.

"A tanker with a capacity of 5,000 litres costs Rs 1,000. I could water the trees for 15 to 20 minutes through drip irrigation," he said.

A tanker transports 25,000 litres of water to Murma in a week, but it is not nearly enough, he said.

"I purchase a drum of water for Rs 50 and require two to three drums per day as I have seven members in my family," he said.

Maharashtra ranks first in the country in sweet lime cultivation, with 21,525 hectares being used in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and 14,325 hectares in Jalna.

"Water is hardly available for farming. Sweet limes are grown in Paithan and Ghansawangi talukas. We have been appealing to farmers not to cut down fruit trees. However, amid water shortage, 30 to 35 per cent of fruit plantations are in danger," said Sanjay Patil, an expert from Krishi Vigyaan Kendra Badnapur.