Nagpur: In a major worry, the drinking water allocated to city from Totladoh reservoir for the year (November 1, 2017, to October 30, 2018) is likely to be exhausted by May end, raising a big question mark on water for remaining five months, from June to October. This realization has triggered alarm bells in Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), with office bearers and officials now approaching the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) to get higher water allocation.
MWRRA has called for final hearing in the petition filed by former Shiv Sena MLA from Ramtek Ashish Jaiswal on March 15. Jaiswal is against giving any additional water to industry or drinking purpose, other than the quantum framed by MWRRA in September 2017.
As per MWRRA regulations, the city stands to get even less water than that allocated by the water resources department (WRD). The city had reservation of 190 million meter cube (MMC) from Totladoh and 58 MMC from Kanhan before the new regulations were framed. Reservation of 112 MMC was permanent while 78 MMC was on temporary basis. NMC was utilizing entire quantum, and even drawing more in some years. Around 70% of areas in the city are supplied water from Totladoh, and remaining from Kanhan.
The new MWRRA regulations give the city only 140.87 MMC from Totladoh and Kanhan. Additional 12.50 MMC is accounted for by evaporation losses. Thus, allocation from Totladoh comes down to 95.37 MMC as against requirement of 190 MMC. However, the WRD had allocated 114.5 MMC to NMC in view of MWRRA’s criteria of allocating 15% of total reservoir storage for drinking purpose.
As per NMC data, 51 MMC raw drinking water has been consumed from Totladoh by now, and 63.50 MMC remains. But NMC has failed to reduce consumption from Totladoh allocation, which comes to 15.83 MMC per month. During summer, between March and June, NMC needs to feed Kanhan river with 18 MMC water from Totladoh. Also, 47.49 MMC will be required over next three months in areas covered under Totladoh’s allocation. Thus, there would be no water allocation left by May end.
The MWRRA regulations now also say NMC will have to pay a high price for additional quantum of 19.13 MMC from Totladoh.
A top NMC official told TOI everything depends upon MWRRA’s decision. “Irrigation of rabbi crop has come to an end. Today, Totladoh has 220 MMC water. First, NMC will request MWRRA for restoration of old allocation of 190 MMC. If this request is not accepted, NMC will ask for water up to October 30, since there are no alternate sources for supplying water to 70% areas of the city,” he said.
The official added NMC will also present in detail initiatives being taken to conserve water and also reuse. “NMC is treating 210 MLD sewage water and is likely to increase the quantum to 410 MLD soon, and supplying treated sewage for power stations. All these efforts are a concrete background for getting old allocation,” he said.
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