Maharashtra Dams Report Higher Water Storage
- State cabinet reported dams across Maharashtra currently hold roughly 653.63 TMC of water, higher than this time last year. - The chief minister urged conservation measures amid looming El Niño concerns to safeguard reserves for summer and irrigation needs. - Officials warned careful releases and conservation will be needed if El Niño reduces monsoon rains, affecting farmers and cities (timesofindia.indiatimes.com).
Maharashtra’s dams held 653.63 thousand million cubic feet of water on April 21, more than the same point last year, but the state is already warning against overuse. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Officials told the state cabinet on April 22 that reservoir storage was 101.77 TMC higher than a year earlier, when the statewide figure stood at 551.86 TMC. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis then asked departments and residents to use water carefully. (hindustantimes.com) The state’s own reservoir dashboard shows 3,028 dams at 44.52% of live storage on April 21, versus 37.64% on the same date in 2025. Pune division had the largest volume at 206.55 TMC, followed by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar at 129.37 TMC and Nashik at 101.96 TMC. (mwrdpravah.in) El Niño is a Pacific Ocean warming pattern that can disrupt rainfall far from the ocean where it forms. India’s weather office said on April 22 that the 2026 southwest monsoon is likely to be below normal, with El Niño conditions likely after June. (wmo.int) (mausam.imd.gov.in) That is why a bigger April water cushion is not being treated as a free pass. The cabinet review focused on holding enough water for summer drinking supplies and for irrigation if monsoon inflows weaken later in the year. (indianexpress.com) The warning is shaped by recent history. At the cabinet review, officials cited 2014 and 2015 as El Niño years when storage fell sharply and shortages spread across parts of Maharashtra. (indianexpress.com) Fadnavis said departments should speed up water conservation works, improve reservoir management and revive traditional local water sources. Officials also discussed tighter control over releases so reserves are not depleted before the monsoon peak. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (lokmattimes.com) For now, Maharashtra has more water in storage than it did a year ago. The state’s message is that the next test is not today’s reservoir level, but how much of it remains if the June-to-September monsoon underperforms. (hindustantimes.com) (mausam.imd.gov.in)
