The Bombay High Court has sought to know from the Maharashtra government whether it has a contingency plan in place in view of the steady decline of rainfall in the state over the past few years.

A division bench of Justices V M Kanade and Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi was hearing a petition filed by Solapur-based farmer Siddeshwar Warade seeking a direction to the government to release water from Ujani dam for irrigation in Mohol and Mangalwedha talukas of Solapur.