Unusual Sept heat is causing Jayakwadi dam to lose an average 1.3 million cubic metres (MCUM) of water every day to evaporation, nearly three times the normal rainy-season loss. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : Marathwada is already staring at a grim water crisis. Now, even the water stored for the difficult months ahead is disappearing fast.
Maximum temperature hovered around 35.8°C for two days till Monday, a Sept high not seen since 2001.
Officials said the heat has sharply accelerated evaporation from Jayakwadi and other reservoirs.
On Sept 17 and Sept 20 alone, Jayakwadi lost 1.8 MCUM each day to evaporation. The loss during the 24 hours ending Monday morning was 1.14 MCUM, official data showed. For reference 1 MCUM is 0.03TMC.
“The priority now is to reserve the available water strictly for drinking and prepare a contingency plan till the next monsoon,” a senior official said.
Independent analyst Shrinivas Aundhkar said above-normal temperatures were likely to continue for at least another fortnight. There is little chance of significant post-monsoon rain in Marathwada,” Aundhkar said. “Above-normal temperatures are forecast to continue for at least the next fortnight as the El Nino impact persists.