The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has alerted the Tehsildar, Panchayat, and local police of Khalapur in Raigad district, warning them that the Morbe Dam, which supplies potable water to Navi Mumbai, is expected to overflow soon due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas.
The NMMC issued a warning after the dam level reached 87.40 meters on Sunday afternoon. “It became necessary to alert the local administration and villagers along the Dharavi River, as its water level will rise if the spillgate is opened to release excess water from the dam,” said a senior civic official. The overflow level is at 88.00 meters.
As of 10:00 a.m. on August 26, 2024, the water storage in Morbe Dam has reached 185.151 million cubic meters, with the water level standing at 87.40 meters. The dam's total storage capacity is 190.890 million cubic meters. On Sunday, the catchment area received 87.4 mm of rainfall, bringing the total rainfall in the catchment areas since the onset of the monsoon to 3,313 mm.
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Continuous rainfall over the past three days in the catchment area of Morbe Dam has raised the water level significantly. If the rainfall continues, the water level could soon reach 87.85 meters. The official stated, "Both dam spillway gates will be opened at any moment, releasing excess water into the original Dhavari River channel." This information has been conveyed to the Khalapur Tehsildar and local police administration through a letter from the NMMC’s Water Supply Department.
It has also been indicated that water will be released periodically to maintain the dam's water level at 88.00 meters if necessary.
“In this regard, the Sarpanch, Talathi, Gram Sevak, and Police Patil of villages along the Dhavari River, particularly Chouk, Jambhivli, Asare, Dharani, Tupgaon, Asroti, Kopri, and other villages along the Patalganga River, have been informed by the Tehsildar's office to issue precautionary warnings to the village residents,” the official added. Residents should be aware that the water level in the river will rise after the dam releases water.
The Tehsildar and local police administration have also instructed that citizens and tourists should not enter the flowing water and should be prohibited from entering or swimming in the river channel during this time.
With a daily capacity of 450 million liters, NMMC’s Morbe Dam is on the verge of reaching its full capacity. This is a cause for celebration for the residents of Navi Mumbai.