Water in 964 reservoirs inMaharashtra's drought-prone Marathwada region stood at 49.79 per cent of capacity as on Monday, compared to just 5.97 per cent on the same day last year, thanks to sufficient rains during September-October last year, as per state Irrigation department data.Jayakwadi Dam on the Godavari river, the biggest among the reservoirs in the region, is 73.33 per cent full as against 'zero storage' during the same period last year, the data showed.Manjara Dam, which supplies water to Latur, one of the major districts in the region, continues to be in 'zero storage' level as was the case last year, it revealed.As per the Irrigation department website, water availability in major dams is 61.64 per cent, as against 3.13 per cent on the same day last year, 39.04 per cent in medium dams, as against 10.68 per cent last year, and 26.57 per cent in the minor reservoirs, as against 10.23 per cent last year.However, water conservation expert Pradeep Purandare said the situation was still grim due to several distribution channels remaining unrepaired."This high level of water in dams shows we are not utilizing enough for irrigation. This high availability may also increase sugarcane cultivation which requires a lot of water," he claimed.
