Jayakwadi Dam sees 55 pc water storage

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Even after half of April has passed, one of the largest earthen dams in the state, the Jayakwadi project currently holds 55.62 per cent live water storage. During the same period last year, the storage stood at 47.40 pc. Compared to that, this year’s situation has brought significant relief to the administration.

The total capacity of Jayakwadi Dam is 1,522 feet, and the current water level has reached 1,512.78 feet. The project has a total storage of 1,945.534 million cubic metres (MCM), of which 1,207.428 MCM is live storage available for use. Due to satisfactory rainfall in the catchment areas of Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts, the dam had remained filled to capacity for a prolonged period this year.

At present, water is being discharged through the left canal at a rate of 2,200 cusecs, greatly benefiting agriculture. The Jayakwadi Dam supplies drinking water to approximately 5.5 million people across Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, as well as the districts of Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, and Ahilyanagar, covering around 256 villages. It also provides water to industrial areas such as Waluj, Chikalthana, and the Bidkin–Shendra belt.

According to the executive engineer (Water Resources Department) Prashant Sant, “ Although the current water storage is satisfactory, it is essential to use water in a planned and judicious manner in view of potential future scarcity. Drinking water remains our top priority, and citizens as well as industries should use water sparingly.”

Considering the next two and a half months of intense summer, along with evaporation and increasing demand, the administration faces the challenge of conserving every drop of available water, it is learnt.