Krishna river
Amid growing concerns over water availability, the Kolhapur district administration has decided to review reservoir levels every 10 days and regulate releases accordingly. Officials estimate that intense summer heat could lead to evaporation losses of 7 TMC to 8 TMC. After accounting for these losses, usable storage in the district is pegged at 81.3 TMC, including 5.9 TMC reserved for drinking water. Water resources department superintendent engineer Chandrashekhar Patole said, “Officials would review water levels every 10 days and decide releases, reservoir retention and storage requirements untilAug 2027.
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Executive engineer Seema Mohite said water-lifting machines would be seized and licences cancelled for a year if anyone drew water for agriculture or industry during the ban. “The department would not be responsible for any damage during the restriction period,” she said. For this, the Shramik Mukti Dal will wage a fierce struggle,” Patankar said.
Kolhapur : With water reserves under pressure after a weak monsoon, the irrigation department has banned withdrawal of water from Krishna river for agricultural and industrial use for two days — Saturday and Sunday — to protect drinking water supply to Sangli city. The restriction covers both banks of the river from downstream of Tembhu barrage to the Kolhapur-type barrage in Sangli district. Authorities have also stopped discharge into Koyna riverbed by closing the powerhouse gate of Koyna dam. The department warned of strict action against violators. The water management plan has drawn criticism from farmer groups. Shramik Mukti Dal leader Bharat Patankar alleged that govt’s water planning was unfair to agriculture and posed risks to Maharashtra’s food security. “Govt decision prioritised drinking water, livestock, industrial use, Maharashtra State Agriculture Corporation programmes and other fodder and seed schemes before irrigation, placing agriculture and the state’s food security under severe pressure. Download the TOI App.
The district received nearly 50% less rainfall during the monsoon.
Inflows from streams and drains into reservoirs have stopped, forcing authorities to begin water rotations by the end of Sept, much earlier than the usual Dec schedule.
Authorities will also maintain a buffer stock equivalent to 10% of live storage. Current storage stands at 97%, short of the full-capacity levels typically expected by mid-Oct. Four major dam projects have 97% storage, while 12 medium projects hold 95%.