Residents living along the Mutha River have been advised to remain alert as water discharge from the Khadakwasla Dam has been increased substantially following heavy rainfall across the dam catchment area. The Khadakwasla, Panshet and Varasgaon dams have reached full storage capacity, while the Temghar Dam is currently at nearly 93 per cent capacity. As inflows continue to rise, the Irrigation Department has been increasing water releases from the reservoirs in phases.
By 10 a.m. on Sunday, the discharge from Khadakwasla Dam had been increased from 856 cusecs on Saturday evening to 20,779 cusecs. The department has warned that the increased releases are likely to raise the water level of the Mutha River and has urged residents to stay away from the riverbed and strictly follow official advisories.
According to the Irrigation Department's 6 a.m. status report, Khadakwasla Dam is at full capacity with 1.97 TMC of water in storage and an inflow of 271 MCFT. Panshet Dam is also full with 10.65 TMC of water and an inflow of 361 MCFT, while Varasgaon Dam holds 12.82 TMC with an inflow of 348 MCFT. Temghar Dam currently stores 3.44 TMC, equivalent to 92.84 per cent of its capacity, with an inflow of 225 MCFT.
The combined inflow into the four reservoirs stood at 1,205 MCFT, taking the total storage to 28.88 TMC, or 99.09 per cent of their combined capacity. On the corresponding day last year, the reservoirs held 25.64 TMC, equivalent to 87.97 per cent capacity.
The discharge from Khadakwasla Dam had been reduced to 856 cusecs at 4 p.m. on Saturday. However, as rainfall intensified overnight across the catchment area and inflows increased rapidly, the Irrigation Department raised the release in stages. The discharge was increased to 2,996 cusecs at 10 p.m., 5,783 cusecs at 12:30 a.m., 7,712 cusecs at 2 a.m., and 11,704 cusecs at 3 a.m. It was further increased to 13,981 cusecs at 7:30 a.m. before reaching 20,779 cusecs at 10 a.m. on Sunday. The department said that 6.55 TMC of water has so far been released through the Khadakwasla spillway.
Panshet Dam also began releasing water after nearing full capacity. Spillway discharge, which had remained closed until 10 p.m. on Saturday, commenced at 1,954 cusecs at 1 a.m. on Sunday after the reservoir reached 99.40 per cent capacity. The release was subsequently increased to 3,196 cusecs at 8 a.m. and further raised to 5,402 cusecs at 10 a.m. An additional 600 cusecs continues to be discharged through the dam's hydropower station.
Varasgaon Dam, which has also reached full capacity, has similarly witnessed a steady increase in releases. Spillway discharge was raised from 637 cusecs to 2,200 cusecs at 11 p.m. on Saturday, increased to 7,200 cusecs at 7 a.m. on Sunday, and further raised to 10,510 cusecs by 9:30 a.m. Including the 600 cusecs released through the hydropower station, the total discharge from the dam has reached 11,110 cusecs.
The Irrigation Department has cautioned that the continued increase in releases from the reservoirs could lead to a further rise in the Mutha River's water level. Residents have been advised not to enter the riverbed or low-lying riverbank areas, to move livestock and valuables to safer locations if necessary, and to strictly comply with instructions issued by the administration.