The Board of Control for Cricket in India, on Tuesday, has assured the Bombay High Court that it will make use of sewage water for maintaining the cricket pitches in the drought-hit Maharashtra while pleading for permission to go ahead with the Indian Premier League matches scheduled to be held in the state.
According to media reports, the BCCI told the court, which was hearing a petition on moving the IPL tournaments out of the state as maintaining the cricket pitches require lakhs of litres of water, that sewage water will be supplied to stadiums in Mumbai and Pune.
BCCI counsel Rafiq Dada informed the court that BCCI has tied-up with Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) to procure treated sewage water for the IPL matches to be played in Pune and Mumbai. He said every day, seven to eight tankers of treated sewage water will be supplied to stadiums.
Meanwhile, the state government informed the court that it has no objection to moving the matches out of the state.
The High Court had given the go-ahead to conduct the opening match of the cash-rich tournament at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. On Tuesday, however, the court threatened that it will order the remaining matches, scheduled to be held in the state, to states which are not facing water scarcity.
The court had, on Saturday, asked the BCCI if it was going to use water which is becoming so precious in the state for the upkeep of pitches while people are dying because of water scarcity.
The BCCI pointed out that water is required for the maintenance of pitches throughout the year, but not on the day of the matches and asked the court why is it opposed to having the matches conducted in the state.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said no water that can be used for drinking or other purposes will be allowed to be used for maintaining the pitches, adding that it wouldn't bother him even if matches are shifted out of the state.
Nine matches are to be played in Pune and eight in Mumbai.