Koyna Dam in Satara district caters to irrigation needs of Satara, Solapur and Sangli districts
The live stock of usable water in the dams is enough for water needs during the summer months starting from March 1, according to the irrigation department officials. Last year, these dams — large, medium and small — across six divisions in the state had nearly 62% usable water stock. Recently, we completed one to two rotations (of water release) of 15 days to meet the irrigation needs.
Because some portion of water from the dams is lost in evaporation, the rainfall predictions are taken into account with the summer temperatures while panning the water use. We have been told by the irrigation department officials that water has been released from dams, but it takes time to reach us through canals.
A senior official of the water resources department, requesting anonymity, said, soon a state Canal Advisory Committee meeting would be held under water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil to plan the water use during the summer. The official said, “Rabi crops require less water. Sudhir Patil, a grape farmer from Yelavi village of Sangli district, said, “The water levels are going down in wells. The El Nino phenomenon is a possibility this time, according to weather forecasters.
Still, there were demands from farmers for water. For instance, one rotation of water release was just completed from Ujani dam for irrigating crops such as gram and wheat. The demand for water is increasing as the sugarcane is harvested and farmers want to water their field to get a new crop from shoots left in the field. The canals are dry right now. Grapes require nutrient-rich dam water for sweetness. Most dams were filled to their brim. It may delay or weaken the monsoon this year. The IMD comes up with El Nino predictions only in April, but American and Australian weather agencies predicted a possibility of an El Nino effect based on the studies.
Monsoon was in excess last year.