Kundan Rajput
Nashik: Jayakwadi Dam, which has been built to address the irrigation and drinking water woes of Marathwada, has so far received 3 TMC of water, released from upstream Nandur Madhyameshwar barrage during the fortnights of June and July.
Although discharge of water from major upstream dams in the district has not started yet, water inflow however continues into the barrage due to persistent rainfall in the catchment area. As a result of that discharge of water from the Nandur Madhyameshwar barrage is continues for the last one and a half month. Last year, a record-breaking 121 TMC of water had reached Jayakwadi from the barrage.
Being the total storage capacity of the Nandur Madhyameshwar barrage is 257 mcft, even if a water level crosses permissible limit, then the water is discharged from the dam into the river.
With an exception of seven to eight days in the last one and a half month, more or less discharge of water is continuously being made from the barrage every day.
The release of water is getting on at the rate of 200 to 800 cusecs. Through this channel, till now 3000 mcft or about three TMC of water has reached Jayakwadi dam.
The Cyclone Nusarga had caused heavy rains in the district in early June lashing Nashik, Trimbakeshwar and Igatpuri talukas. As a result, the water level of Godavari, Darna and Kadava rivers had increased compelling the irrigation department, for the first time in this season, to open gates of Nandur Madhyameshwar barrage for discharge of water into the river.
The discharge from the dam was then started at the rate of 9,000 cusecs. After that, in the second week of June, there was heavy rainfall in the district including Nashik city, causing floodlike situation. The water level in Darna had also risen. All that had caused release of water from the barrage at the speed of 4000 to 5000 cusecs.
Last year, the highest discharge of water @ 93,000 cusecs was being carried out from Nandur Madhyameshwar barrage/dam to Jayakwadi project. As much as 121 TMC of water had reached Marathwada.
This year, both the Gangapur and Darna dams are 50 per cent full to their projected capacity. With three more months of a rainy season are still to go, there is a possibility of a large-scale discharge this year too from the upstream reservoirs and there are signs that the Jayakwadi dam will again be 100 per cent full to its total storage capacity.
