Mumbai: In a major relief to the drought-prone Marathwada region, the Jayakwadi dam reached 100 per cent water storage on Saturday, September 7. The dam, located in Paithan, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) is a major water supplier for Marathwada. Jayakwadi dam on the same day last year had mere 32.60 per cent water storage, according to the data by the Maharashtra Water Resources (WRS) Department.
What State Water Resources Data Says
Amid heavy rainfall this monsoon, all 2,997 dams in Maharashtra (including major and minor) have reached total of 83.15 per cent water levels, which is almost 20 per cent more than last year, the WRS data says.
Water stock in all Maharashtra Dams as of Saturday, September 7 | WRS
If only major 138 dams are considered, which cover all regions- Konkan (including Mumbai), Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambjajinagar (Marathwada), the total water storage as of Saturday has reached 92.63 per cent. On the same day last year, the water level were mere 70.92 per cent, WRS' live storage comparison report says.
It is the first time since 2018 that almost all major dams in Maharashtra have reached 100 per cent water storage, indicating that the state may not face severe water shortage up to next monsoon.
Water Level in Mumbai Lakes
Amid heavy rainfall in last few days, the seven reservoirs supplying water to Mumbai have crossed 98 per cent water storage. As of September 6, the water stock in seven lakes including Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa, Tansa, Tulsi, Vihar and Modak Sagar was 98.06 per cent. On the same day last year, water stock in these seven lakes was 90.39 per cent.
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Rainfall in Maharashtra
Last week, parts of Maharashtra, particularly the Vidharbha and Marathwada regions received intense rainfall. Several districts in Marathwada went under water and lakhs of hectors of crops were damaged. The flood-like situation took 12 lives and thousands of villagers were relocated to safer locations.
This monsoon, Maharashtra has witnessed above normal rainfall, with the state receiving more than 126% of average rainfall from June 1 until last week.
