Water in Maha irrigation dams dip; Marathwada worst affected

Even as Maharashtra received unseasonal rains coupled with hailstorm in the last few months, depleting water storage in large, medium and small irrigation dams across the state has become a cause of concern with Marathwada region staring at intense scarcity.
There are 2498 irrigation dams in Maharashtra and only 20 percent water is left in the state's reservoirs as on May 16, an official in the water resources department said.
The lowest is the water storage in Marathwada region which is 8 per cent, the official said.
Even after the onset of monsoon in the state, Marathwada gets rains much later and hence the water situation in this region is a cause of concern, he added.

Konkan has 33 per cent water, Nagpur division 22 per cent, Amravati 26 per cent, Nashik 25 per cent and Pune 23 per cent. The percentage of water storage in other dams is 32 percent.
Last year till May 16, the state had 27 per cent water stored in irrigation dams. Marathwada had 23 per cent water, Konkan 32 per cent, Nagpur 40 per cent, Amravati 37 per cent, Nashik 25 per cent and Pune 21 per cent.
Marathwada had faced similar situation in 2013 when the water in irrigation dams was 5 percent.