Dilari (Madhya Pradesh), May 12 : Cattle are dying in the Chhatarpur District of Madhya Pradesh, where a drought like situation prevails.

Six tribal villages of Bundelkhand region in the state are struggling with the acute scarcity of drinking water. The drought hit geographical region lies between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

According to Dilari village residents, about 400 cattle have died so far due to acute water shortage.

They said that the problem due to water scarcity is so grave that they have no option but to satiate the thirst of their family with the result their cattle are dying without water.

"We have to cover long distances to fetch little water for ourselves and our children only once or twice in 24 hours, but are unable to feed livestock. We are helpless. The situation is worse because there is no water left in hand pumps, wells and all the ponds have dried up," said Ramratan, a villager.

The authorities, however, said that diseases and not the scarcity of water is the cause of cattle deaths and added that the veterinary department personnel are engaged in tackling the problem.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Chhatarpur District, S. N. Shukla said: “The veterinary department is visiting all the places and collecting information.

Vaccinations are also being given. Deaths of livestock are being reported because of diseases, and steps are being taken for that."

It may be recalled that this region of the state has been facing acute water scarcity for the past four years. The shortage of water during the summer months is a perennial problem in several regions of Madhya Pradesh, and the growing population has only added to the woes.

Recently, the State Government has allocated an amount of almost 25 million rupees for transportation of drinking water in rural areas. 6.5 million rupees have been announced for organising cattle camps in nine districts and 2.3 million rupees for construction of water bodies. (ANI)