Jayakwadi dam water storage a cause of concern for Marathwada

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Aug 6 (PTI) Despite two months of monsoon, the water storage in Jayakwadi dam, the biggest irrigation project in Marathwada region of Maharashtra, remains 19.67 per cent due to the lack of sufficient rainfall in the catchment area as of Tuesday.

The overall storage in 11 major irrigation projects in the region now stands at 28.04 per cent. However, zero per cent water storage in Sina Kolegaon and Majalgaon dams in Dharashiv and Beed districts, respectively, raised concerns.

At 84.61 per cent, the highest storage is in Vishnupuri dam in Nanded.

Officials, however, remain optimistic about the rise in water storage of Jayakwadi dam in view of increased water inflow from the Nashik region amid heavy rains.

The catchment areas of Jayakwadi dam received only 268 mm of rainfall so far in the monsoon season.

The oldest earthen dam in Paithan taluka caters to the drinking and irrigation needs of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) and Jalna districts with the canal network connecting to Majalgaon dam in Beed.

"Jayakwadi dam's water storage reached 19.67 per cent on Tuesday with the inflow of 143.21 Million Cubic Meters (MCM) of water in the past 24 hours. The total inflow in the dam is 399.68 MCM since June 1 this year," an official said.

Dam-wise storage in various dams in the Marathwada region is: Jayakwadi (19.67 per cent), Nimna Dudhna (10 per cent) Yeldari (33.04 per cent), Siddheshwar (44.11 per cent), Manjara (2.32 per cent), Penganga (51.76 per cent), Manar (67.32 per cent), Nimna Terna (29.36 per cent), the official said. PTI AW NSK