Wet spell brings cheer, but catchment remains parched

The good spell of rainfall in the last two weeks has brought cheer to many residents in Navi Mumbai as it prevented the possibility of water cuts. The water level at Morbe Dam that supplies water to the city was depleted to a record low. At present, the water level is around 66.55% of the total capacity of Morbe dam, which is located in Khalapur in Raigad district.

Vasant Padghar, deputy engineer (Morbe Dam) informed that there is no immediate plan of water cut. However, he added that the recent rainfalls pushed the water level of the dam and prevented any chance of water cut.

The total storage capacity of Morbe dam is 190.890 million cubic meters (MCM). As of August 14, the storage was

127.042 MCM which 66.55% of its total capacity. “The maximum water level of the dam when it overflows is 88 meters, and the present level is 80.90 meters,” said Padghar.

There is still a shortfall of around eight meters which the civic administration is expecting to fill in days to come in the remaining monsoon season. “In order to overflow the dam, the catchment area requires around 3250 mm rainfall during the monsoon season. This year, so far, the catchment area has already 1760.40 mm rainfall and it requires around 1500 mm more rainfall,” said another official. Last year, the catchment area of Morbe Dam had received around 5000 mm rainfall which is also a record. The dam was overflown on August 4 last year.

For the last three years, the dam has been overflowing and if this year too it overflows, it will a record. “The monsoon is in the middle and we are expecting that it will overflow this year again,” said the official.