Scanty rainfall in catchment areas worries Maharashtra administration

Scanty rainfall during the month of June in catchment area of major irrigation dams in Maharashtra has left the state administration worried.

The dams in Thane, Aurangabad, Amravati and Pune regions have received paltry downpour in June.

Director of State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Suhas Diwase said the redeeming feature of this year's monsoon has been that it has rained heavily surpassing the annual average for June in drought prone Latur and Nanded districts and in Akola, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Sangli.

"Out of the 37 major irrigation dams in the state, rainfall in catchment areas of some of the dams is as scanty as 4 mm in Surya Dhamni, Bhatsa 34 mm, Vaitarna (all in Thane district), Jayakwadi 0 mm (Aurangabad), Khadakwasla 5 mm (Pune district)," he said.

The current rainfall and available water stock in the catchment areas of six major dams supplying water to Mumbai is - Modak Sagar 10% with 16 mm rainfall, Tansa 15% with 24 mm, Vihar 28% with 143 mm, Tulshi 54% with 180 mm, Barvi MIDC 9% with 34 mm and Middle Vaitarna 14% with 21 mm rainfall.

Meanwhile, Diwase said the government has identified 23 spots in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Pune, Satara and Raigad districts, out of which five villages in Khed and Ambegaon tehsils in Pune have been identified as vulnerable.

He added that the list of villages and hamlets include those in Ambegaon tehsil where a landslide in Malin on July 30, 2014 had claimed over 100 lives.

Diwase sounded a warning that even some hilly spots in Mumbai like Kurla, Vikhroli Parksite and other areas have been identified as 'vulnerable to landslides'.

He said this year the BMC in joint coordination with the Army, Navy and NDRF have been closely monitoring the vulnerable hotspots identified in the city.

The official further said that the government has now put in place village disaster management plans wherein five teams dealing with seeking information, search operations, searching habitation, medical relief and sanitation have been given training in the tasks they have been entrusted.