Aurangabad, June 20: Jaikwadi dam (60 kms long and 10 kms wide) situated at Paithan filled to capacity this year. As a result, we can have drinking water for 2-3 years. The State government has declared Rs 1,680 crore for the new water pipeline to be laid for the city. Therefore, the city and industrial areas will get abundant water supply.
Development of any city or industrial area entirely depends on infrastructure facilities and amenities. Aurangabad, which had earned acclaim as the fastest developing city in Asia in the 1980s, is ready for another round of development. Jayakwadi dam is one of the most important assets of this city. The dam supplies water to 5 districts and it has 100% storage this year. All areas can can rapidly develop due to the irrigation facility. Jayakwadi is one of the largest earthen dams in Asia and its storage capacity is 102 TMC. If this dam fills to capacity, it has enough stock to meet irrigation needs of two years and drinking water needs of nearly 4 years. Hence, this dam is called the mini sea of Marathwada. Beed, Jalna, Parbhani and Nanded districts depend on the Jayakwadi dam water. Thermal power station at Parli is also dependent on this water. This dam irrigates 2.5 to 3 lakh hectares land. Water supply schemes for Jalna and Aurangabad depend on this dam. This dam also provides drinking water to 400 villages. Waluj, Shendra, Chikalthana, Paithan and Jalna industrial estates depend on this dam only. Jayakwadi dam is a great blessing for economic development of Marathwada. The taste of its water is very good. Australian company Foster has maintained that this water produces very tasty beer after fermentation. Aurangabad city has become the capital of beer in the country in a short span of time.
Daily 60 to 70 lakh liters water is used to produce beer in Aurangabad.
Jayakwadi dam provides 56 MLD water to DMIC and medicine, automobile and other companies along with beer units are developing rapidly due to this facility. Jayakwadi water plays a vital role in brining national and multinational companies to Aurangabad.