Marathwada likely to face water crisis in May

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The executive engineer (Jayakwadi) Prashant Jadhav today expressed his concern saying that the water level in the Jayakwadi Dam is evaporating. It is depleting speedily due to soaring temperatures these days. “As a precautionary a stock of water has been reserved only for drinking. Presently, 16.05 percent of water is available in the dam. From the last week of April, the supply of water will be made for only 4 hours to the motorpumps existing in the submerged area of the dam along with the right and the left canals to quench the thirst of the dependents,” said Jadhav adding that there was 55.99 percent of water in the dam in April 2023.

“ There was no satisfactory rainfall in the catchment area of the dam during last year. The project has also not received a satisfactory quantity of water from the upstream dams. Hence the current water storage in our dam is 16.05 pc only. As of today, the water is being supplied for drinking and industrial purposes. The supply of water is also being made through the right canal and the left canal. However, the water supply through the right canal will be stopped from April 25 and the left canal from on April 30. There are 10,000 legal electric motor pumps operated from the interior portion of these two canals and they will be given water for only 4 hours every day from the last week of April,” said the executive engineer.

The region is likely to face a water crisis after April. Hence reviewing the situation the concerned office (Jayakwadi Project) has taken a tough decision. Meanwhile, it is feared that thousands of hectares of orchards will be affected for want of water. Besides, the farmers living on farm settlements will also have to run helter-skelter for water.

Water crisis in Marathwada?

The dam water is supplied to many districts from Paithan to Nanded for drinking and irrigation purposes. The dam water is also supplied to the Thermal Power Plant at Parli, apart from MIDC areas at Waluj, Shendra, Chikalthana, Paithan, Chitegaon and Bidkin (in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar). It is assumed that the water level in the Jayakwadi will deplete speedily due to the rise and intensity in the temperature in May. The situation would automatically prompt the officials to reduce the supply of water for drinking and industrial purposes. Hence, the water crisis will be going to emerge in Marathwada, it is being said.

3,000 electric motors

The official sources presume that there are 3,000 illegally operated electric motor pumps, apart from the 10,000 legal in the above-mentioned jurisdiction. The department will soon launch a drive to detect and seize these illegal electric motors, stated the official sources.