Maharashtra: Stock in Marathwada dams to last till monsoon

AURANGABAD: Despite major dams in Marathwada releasing water for rabi crops, 11 reservoirs in the region still have 165 TMC water — more than twice the average cumulative storage in five years.
As per official data, 11 major irrigation projects in the region have 91% live storage whereas 75 medium projects are 82% full. There are 752 minor irrigation projects in Marathwada, which have 48% live storage.
Jaising Hire, assistant superintendent engineer with Command Area Development Authority (CADA) of Godavari Irrigation Development Corporation (GMIDC), said the collective water storage in the reservoirs in Marathwada was adequate enough to meet the needs of the region for different purposes till next monsoon.
“Even the dams from drought-prone Osmanabad, Latur and Beed districts were filled to the brim during the last rainy season. The water reservation in dams is planned in such a way that there is adequate stock till at least the next monsoon,” said Hire.
As far as Jayakwadi dam is concerned, which is the lifeline of Aurangabad and many other areas in the region, it was scheduled to release 22 TMC water for irrigation purposes during the rabi season, benefiting 1.46 lakh hectare of land under cultivation in Marathwada. Besides rabi, Jayakwadi dam will also have a planned release of nearly 19 TMC water for summer, which will be carried out from March, that will benefit around 53,000 hectare land in Aurangabad and other parts of Marathwada under cultivation.
As per official data, the major dams in the region have been witnessing evaporation losses to the tune of 2.5 mcum per day, which is expected to increase further as skies become more bright and clear post second half of winter.