Published On : Mon, Jul 22nd, 2019

Scanty rainfall: Dams in Nagpur district hit alarming low levels

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Nagpur: Though rains in the last couple of days somewhat brought cheer to farming community in Nagpur district, but the data released by Nagpur Division’s Water Resources Department is alarming as the water level in dams and reservoirs remains far too low with no good rainfall in sight.

The combined water storage of 18 big dams in the division adds up to 25 percent of the designed capacity of these dams. It means that the rainfall deficiency in the region is more visible in the catchment areas of these dams. The situation is more or less same in medium projects. The paucity of rains especially in the paddy belts has hit cultivation and may lead water shortage in coming days.

In Nagpur Division, the present water level in Pench Totladoh dam is 1016.88 million cubic metre (MCM) as against the designed capacity of 12702 MCM. Navegaon Khairi has only 141.74 MCM water as against capacity of 15618 MCM. Nand Dam has only 53 MCM of water against the 5238 MCM water whereas Wadgaon project has hit a low of 135 MCM having capacity of 10887 MCM of water storage.

Gosikhurd Dam in Bhandara district has only 740 million cubic metre water as against the designed capacity of 67,300 million cubic metre. Painting a grim picture is the Bawanthadi Dam of Bhandar district. It is almost dry.

According to private weather forecaster Skymet this year, rainfall in Vidarbha, Marathwada, West Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat will be poorer than normal while southern India is expected to receive below normal rainfall.

Total capacity of Maharashtra’s dams is 40,604,000 million litres and at present water level is at alarming level.