Central Railway's Amla reservoir capacity rises 3.5 times after desilting to 331.95 million litres
Central Railway has desilted and repaired the Amla railway reservoir in Nagpur division, raising its capacity from 93.75 million litres to 331.95 million litres.
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Amid fears of a possible drought and water crisis in Maharashtra, Central Railway has taken an important step towards water conservation. Special efforts are being made to preserve the reservoirs that come under the railways.
As part of this, desilting and repair work has been carried out at the Amla railway reservoir in Nagpur division. Its water storage capacity has since risen about three and a half times, which means the reservoir can now hold far more water than before.
Central Railway completed desilting over an area of roughly 300 metres x 198.5 metres, to an average depth of four metres. As a result, the reservoir's capacity has increased from 93.75 million litres to 331.95 million litres.
This is an increase of about 238.2 million litres, or 23.82 crore litres. The added capacity will allow rainwater to be harvested more effectively and the available water to be used better when needed.
About 2.38 lakh cubic metres of silt was removed to clean the reservoir and improve water quality. Besides raising usable storage capacity, this has also strengthened the upkeep of the water resource.
Apart from desilting, the water intake well has been repaired. Plastering over 100 square metres and construction and improvement of a 20-metre-long pathway have also been done. These works are expected to improve the maintenance and operation of the structures linked to the reservoir.
According to Central Railway, the work was carried out in line with action on the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on drinking water quality and the Railway Board's directions to provide clean and safe water. The initiative has also given a boost to cleanliness campaigns such as Swachhata Hi Seva, Swachhata Pakhwada and Special Campaign 6.0.
Given the possibility of drought in areas around Maharashtra, water conservation and the use of available resources are essential. The Amla reservoir's increased capacity will help Central Railway meet the railways' operational water needs and manage water better.
