Totladoh dam at 49.82% in October against 99.92% last year as El Nino cuts rain

Totladoh dam, which supplies water to Nagpur city and to many industries and factories in the district, has reached in October a condition normally seen in May. Drought hangs over the whole state, and its heat has now reached Nagpur district.

The figures show how much the situation has changed. At the end of the second week of October last year, the dam held 99.92 per cent of its water stock. At the same time this year, only 49.82 per cent is left.

The dam, built on the Pench river on the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border, quenches Nagpur's thirst and also supplies water for industry and for irrigation by farmers. This time, under the influence of El Nino, Nagpur district has received 35 per cent less rain. Officials of the irrigation, or water resources, department say the effect is showing in the dam's reserves.

The sight that usually appeared at the end of May is visible this October. Every year, small mounds of sand in the dam's water emerged in April or May as the level fell. This year they have surfaced in October itself.

Evaporation is another cause for concern. Because of the intense October heat, every 7 to 8 days the dam loses through evaporation as much water as would last Nagpur city 2 days. This is why the reserve is falling fast.

This means the people of Nagpur will now have to use water with great care, and wastage must be stopped. The administration, too, will have to plan carefully for the remaining 49 per cent. A visit to the Totladoh dam, set in the dense forest of Pench, to see the reserves and the state of water supply showed the severity of the drought plainly.

The picture in Yavatmal district is not very different. There, under the influence of El Nino, a long gap in the rain this year has brought a drought crisis to the district. Large, medium and small projects together hold 76 per cent of their water stock. To deal with the shortage, the disaster management committee has decided on a 10 per cent cut from October 16.

In view of farmers' demand for water for cotton, arhar and fodder crops, the water reservation committee has also taken a decision. Under it, water will be released from large projects such as Bembla and Arunavati within eight days, from medium projects within two days, and from small projects immediately as needed.

Yavatmal district has 3 large projects, which today hold 67 per cent of their water. The 7 medium projects hold 82 per cent and the 63 small projects 84 per cent. There has been no rain for a month and a half and temperatures are rising, so evaporation is causing a heavy fall in the reserves. A water shortage is therefore feared even before summer. The irrigation department has begun preparing a water reservation plan as per the government's order.