Roundup: Indian court suggests organizers shift IPL matches from drought-hit Maharashtra

A court in India has suggested organizers of Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament shift matches from the drought-hit western state of Maharashtra to save water.

The Bombay High Court reprimanded Maharashtra's cricket body Wednesday for the apparent use of thousands of litres of water to prepare pitches - for the multi-billion-dollar cricketing tournament - at a time when large parts of the state are reeling under severe drought.

"How can you waste water like this? Are people more important or IPL? How can you be so careless," the court said while hearing a petition against the watering of cricket pitches ahead of IPL matches.

The court describing the water usage in making pitches for the game as "criminal wastage."

IPL Twenty20 games are scheduled to begin from Saturday with a spectacular opening ceremony on Friday evening.

The staggered 20 match fixture is scheduled in the cities of Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.

Pune and Nagpur are located in the areas worst hit by drought.

The petitioners in an estimate to the court said six million litres of water will be used for the 19 matches scheduled to be played in Maharashtra's Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.

The IPL is India's multi-billion-dollar cricketing tournament and well-attended cricket league in the world. Top cricket players from cricketing world and Indian players purchased by franchise teams representing Indian cities take part in the contest.

IPL chairman and Indian parliamentarian Rajiv Shukla on Tuesday said the games would go on as scheduled.

"Our sentiments are with drought- affected Marathwada. But some litres of water needed for two-three grounds will not solve the water problem," Shukla told reporters. "Matches will continue as per schedule."

Two successive poor monsoons have triggered drought like situation in the Maharashtra's Marathwada region, causing scarcity of drinking water and failure of crops.

Officials say dams in the region are left with just 5 percent of water ahead of the summer season.

Ground water level in Maharashtra's several drought-hit areas have dipped at an alarming level. The worst hit is Latur district, about 470 km east of Mumbai city, the state's capital.

Local authorities have pressed in 2,300 water tankers in the worst-affected Beed, Latur and Osmanabad districts to ensure people get drinking water.

Reports say water tankers visit affected areas once a week and locals receive tap water once in a month.

The police officials in the affected areas fearing violence over water have imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 (government order) as "precautionary" measure around water sources. The order prohibits assembly of more than four persons in public place.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week urged people across India to conserve and save water.

India's federal government said it will send a fact finding team to assess depleting ground water situation in drought hit Latur.

Earlier India's Supreme Court pulled up the federal government for failing to adequately help drought-hit states. Endit