India, May 9 -- Amid likelihood of an El Nino impacting the monsoon in Maharashtra, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday directed officials to complete 34,000 ongoing water conservation jobs on war footing by June 15 and focus on approved and additional works in drought-prone areas.

During a meeting to review water conservation and Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan 2.0 works, Fadnavis also ordered the administration to undertake water conservation works in areas where the ground water table has depleted. Officials informed the chief minister that desilting had been carried out in 1,435 water bodies and around 477.73 lakh cubic metres of silt had been removed, restoring 30,835 TCM (thousand cubic metres) of water storage capacity. About 73,417...