Purna River and Water Culture of Parbhani

The Purna river, a Godavari tributary, flows through Parbhani district providing year-round water for irrigation and supporting rich riverine communities. The Purna Irrigation Project includes the Manar and Isapur dams, providing irrigation to a significant command area in Parbhani and neighbouring districts. Traditional fishing along the Purna uses the ghol jhali (drag net operated from boats by two fishers), dalda jal (cast net), and deep-pool fishing with baited lines. Communities along the Purna bank practise seasonal floodplain cultivation, sowing on river-deposited alluvial silt as floodwaters recede in September-October. This drawdown cultivation (kharab) produces vegetables including watermelon, bottle gourd, and leafy greens without irrigation. Sacred pools (teerth) at Parbhani's Purna ghats are visited by pilgrims during Makar Sankranti for ritual bathing. The Purna river's ecological health has declined due to upstream groundwater extraction reducing perennial flow.