Maharashtra reservoirs at 44 pc capacity, below last year's level: Official data

Mumbai, Jul 14 (PTI) Maharashtra's reservoirs are currently filled to 44 per cent of their storage capacity, lower than last year's level, the state water resources department said on Tuesday. As of July 13, Maharashtra's 3,029 dams were holding 632.89 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water, the department said in its presentation before the state cabinet. The storage is significantly lower than the 843.57 TMC (59 per cent) recorded on the corresponding date last year, though reservoirs have gained 295.51 TMC since June 20 following the progress of the southwest monsoon, it said. Among the six revenue divisions, Nashik reported the highest reservoir storage at 86 per cent, followed by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (66 per cent), Konkan (62 per cent), Pune (51 per cent), Amravati (42 per cent) and Nagpur (40 per cent). Large dams across the state were at 48 per cent of their live storage capacity, medium ones at 42 per cent, and small reservoirs at 29 per cent, the water resources department said. Among the state's major reservoirs, Koyna stood at 49 per cent, Jayakwadi at 32 per cent, Ujani at 50 per cent, Gosikhurd at 36 per cent, and the Khadakwasla dam group at 41 per cent. Six reservoirs supplying drinking water to Mumbai and neighbouring Thane collectively contained 42.63 TMC, or 57 per cent of their live storage capacity, compared with 79 per cent on the same date last year, as per official data. PTI MR GK