Only 20 pc water stock available in 11 major reservoirs of Marathwada

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jul 30 (PTI) Water storage in eleven major irrigation projects in central Maharashtra's Marathwada region stood at a mere 20.14 percent by the end of July, an official report here said on Tuesday.

The storage in Sina Kolegaon reservoir in Dharashiv and Majalgaon reservoir in Beed district is at zero level, it said.

The region has so far received 59.6 percent of the average rainfall between June and September, but there has been much less rainfall in the main catchment areas of the Godavari valley, an official said.

Jayakwadi on the Godavari in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, the biggest dam in the region, had on Tuesday only 7.23 percent of water storage, much less than 30.93 percent on the same day last year. Jayakwadi has so far received inflow of 127 Million Cubic Meters (MCM) of water.

Vishnupuri dam on the Godavari river in Nanded district has 88.46 percent stock, against 62.82 percent on the same day last year, the report said.

But no other dam-reservoir in the region is even half full.

Majalgaon and Sina Kolegaon projects have dead storage (below zero percent) though they received inflows of 19.10 MCM and 7.19 MCM since June 1.

Project-wise water storage in various reservoirs in Marathwada: Jayakwadi (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) 7.23 percent, Nimn Dudhana (Parbhani) 8.14 percent, Yeldari (Parbhani) 31.31 percent, Siddheshwar (Hingoli) 24.82 percent, Majalgaon (Beed) zero, Manjara (Beed) 1.37 percent, Penganga (Nanded) 43.67 percent, Manar (Nanded) 49.37 percent, Nimn Terna (Dharashiv) 27.60 percent, Vishnupuri (Nanded) 88.46 percent, Sina Kolegaon (Dharashiv) zero percent. PTI AW KRK