Bhima River and Water Management in Solapur

The Bhima river, a tributary of the Krishna, flows through Solapur district providing the primary surface water resource for the district's agriculture and urban water supply. The Ujjani dam on the Bhima, Maharashtra's largest irrigation dam, stores water for Solapur, Pune, and Osmanabad districts. Solapur city's drinking water supply depends on the Ujjani reservoir. The Bhima river's floodplains support sugarcane cultivation in the irrigated command area, making Solapur a significant sugar producer alongside its traditional cotton and sorghum belt. Traditional fishing communities along the Bhima practise jhali net fishing in the monsoon season when the river fills. Sacred bathing ghats at Pandharpur (the Bhima-Chandrabhaga confluence) are among Maharashtra's most significant pilgrimage sites, visited by millions during the Wari (pilgrimage) season. Wetland habitats along the Bhima river support wintering flamingoes, pelicans, and migratory waterfowl.