Maharashtra’s water stock at 35%, can last till July 15
The water stock was at 29.30 percent during the same period in 2017 (Representational Image)
Maharashtra Irrigation Minister Girish Mahajan on Friday said the state’s reservoirs have 35 percent water in them at present, which would last until July 15 this year.
He added that the state had received 82 percent of the average rainfall in 2016 while it received 75 percent, of this average, in 2017.
“Despite less rainfall in 2017, the state has 35.76 percent water in its reservoirs and this is enough to sustain till July 15. This storage was 29.30 percent during the same period in 2017,” he told PTI.
Mahajan attributed the increased water levels this year to the state governments water conservation schemes.
“The Jalyukt Shivar programme and the storage of water in “KT Weirs” (Kolhapuri type bridge-cum-barrage dams) have yielded good results. Out of the 1,200 KT weirs, we could store water in 950,” he said.
Jalyukt Shivar is a state government project that involves deepening and widening of streams and nullahs, construction of cement and earthen stop dams, and digging of farm ponds.
Giving a division-wise breakup, the minister said that in Marathwada, the water storage was 32. 97 percent as against 29. 65 percent last year, Pune was at 42.55 percent as against 27.87 percent last year while water storage in reservoirs in Nashik was 37.45 percent as against 30.46 percent last year.
“Nagpur is at 18 percent as against 17.26 percent last year. Konkan has 52.21 percent water in its reservoirs as against 50.58 percent during the same period last year and Amravati was at 19.71 percent as against 27.96 percent last year,” Mahajan informed.
He added that, as on April 9, water was being transported in tankers to 601 villages and 158 hamlets, most of which were in Marathwada.
Mahajan added that the state had managed to bring 40 lakh hectares of land under irrigation last year and a target area of 40 lakh hectares had been fixed for this year as well.
With agency inputs
