Excess water released from 5 Maha dams

Mumbai: Water was released from five dams in North and Western Maharashtra over Monday and Tuesday thanks to reservoirs getting full due to heavy rains in catchment areas, government officials said.

A warning was also issued to villages on the banks of the Mutha and Godavari rivers as their levels were likely to rise with the release of water.

The release of water will help arid regions of South-Central Maharashtra and parts of Marathwada, said an official of the Water Resources Department.

"All gates of Hatnur dam in Jalgaon and Gangapur dam in Nashik district (both in North Maharashtra) have been opened to release excess water into the Tapi and Godavari rivers (respectively)," he said.

Rains in Madhya Pradesh led to Hatnur dam filling up, he said.

"The water from Gangapur dam (across the Godavari) would flow downstream into Jayakwadi dam near Aurangabad, so it will ease water scarcity in Marathwada," he said.

"Veer and Khadakwasla dams in Pune district too have started releasing water into the Neera and Mutha (respectively), which would reach the Ujani dam on Pune- Solapur border," the official said.

"Ujani has a capacity of 117 TMC (one thousand million cubic feet) and its entire live (usable) stock was exhausted in the summer to supply drinking water to Solapur district," he added.

Solapur has not received good rainfall so far.

In Nashik district, heavy rains forced the irrigation department to release 8,833 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from Gangapur dam.

The water touched the Saykheda bridge in the district while the idol of famous Dutondya Maruti in Nashik city was half-submerged. The temple stands in the river Godavari.

With the water almost touching the Ramsetu bridge in Nashik city, the administration urged people not to gather on the bridges to watch the floodwaters.

The level of the Darna river in the district also rose after water was released from Darna dam following continuous downpour in Igatpuri tehsil.