Staff Reporter :

 

As of last week of April, when the scorching summer heat is wreaking havoc all over Vidarbha, the water stock in all the reservoirs across Nagpur region stood at 36.43 per cent of their designated storage capacity, which was less as compared to last year. According to the water stock data of Water Resources Department of Government of Maharashtra, Nagpur region had 41.94 per cent water stock on this date last year. There are 16 major dams in Nagpur region. Among them, Totladoh dam, which meets the water demand of Nagpur district, has the highest water stock in the region with 734.51 Mcum water. Last year, the water stock in Totladoh was 56.72 per cent and this year, so far, it has 57.8 per cent water stock. Similarly, Gosikhurd dam, which is the biggest reservoir in the region, has 561.62 Mcum of live water level. In 2024,Kamthi Khairi, another major dam of Nagpur district, has the third highest water stock on this date with 146.86 Mcum.

 

Last year, Kamthi Khairi had 68.85 per cent water stock, which was less as compared to this year. Sirpur dam of Gondia district has the lowest water stock in Nagpur region with only 5.47 per cent of live water level. Whereas, across Maharashtra, areas like Nagpur, Amravati and Konkan have less water stock than last year, while regions like Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nashik are reporting increase in water level so far this year. With temperatures rising, some areas are experiencing temperatures above 45°C, which has raised concerns about rapid depletion of water stock in reservoirs in coming days. In 2024, the State received

 

114% of its average rainfall, resulting in a 5% higher water stock in reservoirs compared to last year. Since March, temperatures in various parts of the State have crossed 40°C, leading to an increased demand for water.

 

The evaporation of water from reservoirs and lakes has also accelerated due to the heat. Water storage in major dams of Nagpur region as on April 26 Dam Storage (in Mcum) DesignedLive%age Bawanthadi217.3217.398.00 Gosikhurd740.17155.7121.04 Asolamendha52.3316.5331.59 Dina67.5411.4016.88 Dhapewada44.056.3814.48 Itiadoh317.8772.2322.72 Kalisarar26.049.4836.41 Pujaritola43.5319.5844.98 Sirpur159.788.715.45 Kamthi Khairy141.98107.8675.97 Khindsi103.0047.4646.08 Nand53.186.4912.20 Totladoh1016.93584.5157.48 Wadgaon134.9038.3628.44 Bor127.4246.6136.58 Lower Wardha216.87112.7451.99 Nagpur Region3462.921261.4336.43