Nagpur: The Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) has directed the water resources department (WRD) to re-calculate the city’s raw water allocation after consulting the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). The re-calculation may reduce the city’s current allocation which is already less than the requirement.
The MWRRA held a hearing on the petition filed by former Shiv Sena MLA Ashish Jaiswal regarding water allocation from Totladoh (Pench) irrigation reservoir, on Thursday at Mumbai. Jaiswal, officiating superintending engineer (water works) of the NMC Sanjay Gaikwad were among those present.
The MWWRA has asked the WRD to submit the revised calculation of raw water allocation by April 10. It is likely to pass an order in April end.
At present, the city’s raw water allocation from Totladoh reservoir is 114.50 million meter cube (MMC) as against the requirement of 190 MMC. The allocated amount is for November 1, 2017 to October 30, 2018.
As per NMC’s data, 52 MMC raw water has been consumed from the reservoir till February end and 63.50 MMC is remaining from the allotted quota. Between March and June, the NMC requires to feed Kanhan river with 18 MMC water from Totladoh reducing the quota to 45.50 MMC.
The monthly consumption is around 15.83 MMC. Thus, the available allocation will come to an end by May end leaving no water for June 1 to October 31.
Jaiswal told TOI that the NMC was eligible for only 70-80 MMC water from Totladoh. “The WRD is supposed to allocate 15% of Totladoh’s water for drinking, 10% for industrial and remaining 75% for irrigation as per a policy dated November 17, 2016. The WRD had considered reservoir’s quantum for allocation as 965 MMC which is wrong. It has to consider 707.92 MMC of which 15% (106.18 MMC) is to go for drinking. In case of less inflow of water in reservoir, the WRD has to place a cut in allocation. The drinking water quota is for three municipal councils — Kalmeshwar, Parsheoni and Nagardhan, as well as Nagpur. Thus, NMC is eligible for 70-80 MMC from the reservoir,” he said.
As per Jaiswal’s calculations, city will have no allocation left from Totladoh reservoir from April. Around 70% of city’s areas are dependent upon the Totladoh reservoir and 30% from Kanhan river’s allocation.
Jaiswal said NMC is to be blamed for the reduced allocation. “NMC started to take water from Totlaodoh reservoir, which is actually built for irrigation purposes, from 1981. It failed to maintain and develop water sources. The NMC had given an affidavit to WRD to develop three water sources — Rahari, Kochi and Jamghat — but none have come up. If more than what is allocated has to be released, it will be by reducing the quota for irrigation. Why should the farmers of the district be harassed due to the NMC’s fault,” he asked.
Looming Crisis
* NMC’s allocation is 248 MMC — 190 MMC from Totladoh and 58 MMC from Kanhan
* 70% areas get water from Totladoh and 30% from Kanhan
* NMC eligible for 140.87 MMC as per MWRRA’s new norms
* WRD allocated 114.5 MMC from Totladoh and 58 MMC from Kanhan
* Allocation will exhaust by May end leaving no water for June 1 to October 31
* Objection also raised on prevailing allocation
* Re-calculation of allocation may reduce quota further
