Halfway mark of monsoon sees over 66% water in state’s dams

Maharashtra's dams reached 66.79% of total capacity (27,240 million cubic metres) on August 1, down from 70.92% last year.

Marathwada region is worst hit, with dams at 41.28% capacity versus 57.60% last year; Jayakwadi dam has 76.54% water.

As many as 618 villages and 1,651 hamlets in 17 districts face drinking water shortage, with 758 tankers deployed (395 in Marathwada).

Medium and small dams have only 53.55% and 35.95% of live storage capacity, respectively, due to uneven rainfall.

The 14% deficit in dam storage could affect hydro-power generation from Koyna dam next summer.