Nagpur: The heavy downpour has led to dams around Nagpur, which had touched historic lows, reach the danger mark within a single day. The Totladoh reservoir, which caters to the city’s drinking water needs, however, remains dry. This is because despite record rains in other parts of the district, it has only trickled in pockets towards the north of Nagpur, where the Totladoh dam is located.
The water level in Totladoh dam remains at 4.5% of the capacity. However, other dams like Wadgaon and Nand are now up to 80% of their capacity.
Till 8am, the water level in Nand dam was at 12%, and it shot to 88% by 6pm. With 560 million cubic metres of water released from the dam, warning has been issued to nearby villages.
A similar warning has been issued to villages close to the Wadgaon dam, where the level touched 89% from 22% in a single day. Seventeen of the 21 gates of the dam have been opened, releasing over 3,000 million cubic metres of water.
The two dams are situated towards Butibori in the opposite direction of Totladoh. Warnings are being issued to residents living in the vicinity of these dams, said a source in VIDC.
In Totladoh dam, on the other hand, Friday’s rainfall has only led to an increase of 0.5 million cubic meters of water. There have been estimates that the water level in Totladoh is enough only to last till mid-July for the city’s needs, and rains were badly needed.
There are predictions of heavy rains till July 10, with chances of even Totladoh filling up in the coming days. The other dams which have reached the peak level in the district include Inoda and Nandedra.
Speaking to TOI, divisional commissioner Anoop Kumar said there has been a dramatic increase in the level of dams which is a favourable sign. The rains would also be beneficial for agriculture as the seeds are in germination stage. Sowing operations too are expected to pick up due to the rains, he said.
Talukas like Mouda have received over 200mm rainfall, but at the same time there are pockets like Tiroda, Aamgaon and Salekasa in Gondia district, or Bhadravati in Chandrapur district, where the rainfall is low or in deficit, he said. The rains in Wardha and Gondia remain within 100% of the average, while it has crossed the 100% in districts like Nagpur, Bhandara and Gadchiroli, he said.
