Buldhana dams at 43% in big projects; Khadakpurna has zero usable water

Water stocks in the reservoirs of Buldhana district appear to be declining. According to Wednesday's report, usable water in the district's reservoirs stands at 52.68 per cent of total capacity. The biggest concern is the large projects, where storage has fallen to 43.46 per cent.

The Buldhana irrigation department released reservoir level figures as of 7 am on Wednesday. According to them, the district's large, medium and minor projects together hold 244.840 million cubic metres of usable water. The district's three large projects together have 43.46 per cent.

Of the three, the Nalganga project has 76.18 per cent and the Pentakali project 73.32 per cent. The Khadakpurna project is in a different situation. Usable water there has been recorded at zero per cent, and only dead storage remains, at 62.8645 million cubic metres.

Storage is satisfactory in some projects, but the low levels in the Khadakpurna and Torna projects draw attention. In the coming days, these figures will be important for drinking water planning, the availability of water for irrigation and the management of reservoirs.

The condition of the medium projects is described as good. The district's seven medium projects together have 70.73 per cent water. Palaghad recorded 98 per cent, Dnyanganga 95.99 per cent and Utawali 87.82 per cent. Koradi has 79.83 per cent and the Mas project 60.90 per cent. Man has 41.81 per cent, while the Torna project has only 29.53 per cent left.

The district's 42 minor projects together hold 51.790 million cubic metres of usable water, which works out to 48.86 per cent.

The Yelgaon dam is important for Buldhana city's water supply. The Yelgaon minor irrigation project has 9.600 million cubic metres, or 77.42 per cent, available. Thus, while usable water at Khadakpurna has run out, Yelgaon, which supplies the city, has good storage.