Aurangabad (Maharashtra): With heavy rains in the catchment area, water levels in Jayakwadi Dam in central Maharashtra's Aurangabad district has reached 92 per cent of the storage capacity, an official said on Tuesday.
The dam is located on the Godavari river and is the biggest in the state's rain deficient Marathwada region.
A meeting on water discharge and gate operations was held on Sunday, he said.
"After the storage reaches 95.9 per cent, if the inflow continues we will think of discharging water. The priority for discharge will be given to the hydropower project and Majalgaon Canal," he said.
"There is a chance that the water level will cross 95 per cent in the next few days. The permissible storage, as of today, is 95.9 per cent," the official added.
The dam, one of the largest earthen dams in Asia, is located around 52 km away from Aurangabad.
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Earlier in the beginning of August, though Maharashtra's dams had lesser water compared to last year, the upside was that water stock in the state's traditionally arid areas was better, official data revealed.
Aurangabad division, in rain deficient Marathwada, for instance, had reported 37.58 per cent water stock in its dams when compared to just 3.24 per cent at the beginning of August last year.
(With inputs from PTI)