Storage in Buldhana's 52 dams falls 3 points in 10 days; Khadakpurna down to 1.75%

Khamgaon: Water stored in Buldhana district's 52 irrigation projects fell from 58.52 per cent on September 28 to 55.42 per cent on Thursday, October 8, a drop of about three percentage points in just ten days, raising fears of water scarcity in the months ahead.

Among the major projects, live storage in the Khadakpurna project fell from 5.60 per cent on September 28 to 1.75 per cent on October 8, a drop of 3.85 points. A drop of 5.02 per cent was recorded in the Koradi project, and levels also fell in the Dnyanganga, Torna, Nalganga, Pentakli, Mun and other projects.

The catchment areas did not get the expected rain this monsoon, so storage did not rise enough. Strong sunshine over the past month has added to evaporation, and the returning monsoon has not arrived as expected. Water levels in rural wells and hand pumps are being affected too.

Lokesh Bobatkar, sub-divisional officer of the Khamgaon irrigation division, said storage had been hit because the expected rain did not come, and water use and future supply would have to be planned around the available stock. He urged residents to use water sparingly and said the rainfall situation and storage were being reviewed regularly.

Source: Navarashtra