Mumbai: Following heavy rainfall and prolonged monsoon, the water level in major dams providing water to drought-prone Marathwada is 47 per cent up this year. The total water storage as of Thursday, October 10 was 95.47 per cent, which was 48.49 on the same day last year, says the report of Maharashtra's Water Resource Department (WRD). The main reservoir for the region, Jayakwadi was 99.95 per cent filled, which was at mere 47.76 per cent same day last year.
It is a major relief to the Marathwada region, which includes areas like Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Latur, Dharashiv, Nanded, Beed, Parbhani and Hingoli. Since 2018, first time this year the water levels reached up to 100 per cent. It is very cricual for the region to have sufficient water storage, which faces severe water shortages in the summer.
As per WRD daily water storage report of October 10 morning 7.45 am, the total Live water storage at the reservoirs in Marathwada (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar region) was 4291.44 million cubic meters.
Water Levels In Maharashtra Dams
In all major 138 dams, (irrigation projects) across Maharashtra, which coveres all the regions: Konkan (including Mumbai), Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambjajinagar (Marathwada), the live water storage was 28234.51 million cubic meters, totalling to 97.15 per cent water level. On the same day last year, the water levels were 83.04 per cent.
It is the first time since 2018 that almost all major dams in Maharashtra have reached 100 per cent water storage, indicating that the state may not face severe water shortage up to next monsoon.
India has recieved more than average rainfall this year, with a delayed monsoon withdrawl. If only Maharashtra's drought-prone Marathwada is considered, the average expected rainfall in the eight districts of Marathwada is 679.5 mm, while the region received 804.5 mm of rainfall this monsoon (118.4 percent of the expected rainfall). In 2023, the rainfall recorded by October 10 was 587.8 mm (83.7 percent), the reports say.
