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Vidarbha’s Dams and Reservoirs Choke as Silt and Neglect Drain them Dry

A barren, cracked landscape with a wooden boat on dry ground showing Vidarbha’s Dams and Reservoirs Choke as Silt and Neglect Drain them Dry.
Vidarbha’s Dams and Reservoirs Choke as Silt and Neglect Drain them Dry

Across the drought-prone districts of Vidarbha, a catastrophic situation is developing beneath the murky waters of reservoirs and lakes.


Decades of accumulated silt and systematic administrative neglect have reduced water storage capacity to alarming levels, compounding the region's chronic water scarcity and agricultural distress.


The arithmetic of decline tells a grim story that threatens the very foundation of water security in Vidarbha.


Vidarbha Reservoirs Face Severe Siltation Crisis


Research conducted by Maharashtra Engineering Research Institute reveals that reservoirs across the region lose between 0.164 to 1.135 per cent of their original capacity annually due to siltation.


This figure significantly exceeds the national average of 0.4 per cent annual storage loss recorded by the Central Water Commission's national compendium on reservoir sedimentation.


Major water bodies like Khadakpurna reservoir in Buldhana district have repeatedly touched dead storage levels, effectively holding zero per cent capacity.

The Gosikhurd dam in Bhandara, despite being one of the largest water infrastructure projects in eastern Maharashtra, reported only 30.2 per cent storage by April 2025.


In Chandrapur district, the Erai dam faces an annual capacity loss rate of 1.135 per cent due to sedimentation, a figure that officials describe as "very serious" and requiring urgent intervention.


The Totladoh dam, which supplies water to Nagpur city, shows sedimentation at a rate of 2.66 million cubic metres per year, representing 0.25 per cent annual loss of its original live storage of 1,091 million cubic metres.


While engineers classify this rate as "not alarming" compared to other regional projects, the cumulative effect over decades substantially reduces available water during critical periods.


Administrative Failures Leave Irrigation Projects Incomplete


Government documents reveal systematic shortcomings in desilting operations across Maharashtra's water infrastructure.


The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board's admission that no desilting occurred at Mumbai's major water supply reservoirs for a decade underscores the widespread nature of administrative neglect. This pattern extends throughout the state, affecting rural and urban water bodies alike.


The Nagpur Municipal Corporation's first desilting of Ambazari Lake in 147 years, undertaken only in 2017, illustrates the chronic maintenance deficit.

The 178-acre lake had accumulated tonnes of silt since its construction in 1870, reducing storage capacity by an estimated 10 per cent. Even this limited intervention required intervention from the district guardian minister to waive the ₹40 lakh cost demanded by the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation.


Budget allocations remain insufficient for comprehensive desilting programmes. The state government's ₹2,000 crore allocation for irrigation projects in the drought-affected region in 2024-25 pales against the estimated ₹55,000 crore required to eliminate the region's entire irrigation backlog.


The Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation, responsible for major projects across the region, operates with limited resources spread across 360 projects, of which 262 remain incomplete.


Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives provide sporadic relief but cannot address systemic requirements.

A 2025 project by Allcargo Group's Avashya Foundation in Nagpur involved widening and deepening a 4.11-kilometre canal, benefiting 200 families with improved drinking water access. Such efforts, while valuable, represent isolated interventions rather than a coordinated regional strategy.


The Gosikhurd National Irrigation Project, designed to irrigate 250,800 hectares across Bhandara, Nagpur and Chandrapur districts, has been under construction for 39 years with multiple deadline extensions.


Despite expenditure of ₹14,251 crore by 2023, the project remains incomplete, leaving farmers dependent on rainfall in a region prone to drought.


Environmental Impact and Agricultural Consequences


The environmental consequences of reduced reservoir capacity extend far beyond water shortage statistics.


Lakes like Futala in Nagpur display severe eutrophication, with phosphorus-related assimilative capacity declining due to sediment accumulation and organic pollution.


Water quality assessments reveal elevated levels of total dissolved solids, biological oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand, particularly during monsoon periods when runoff carries additional sediment loads.


Sakkardara Lake in Nagpur, once considered a city landmark, now holds minimal water due to silt accumulation and encroachment.

The lake's degradation exemplifies how multiple factors - sedimentation, urban development pressure, and inadequate maintenance - combine to destroy water resources.


Agricultural productivity suffers directly from reduced irrigation capacity. Water scarcity forces increased reliance on tanker supplies across districts.


In 2018, the Amravati division deployed 140 tankers for potable water supply compared to just two during the same period the previous year. The Buldhana district administration operates 67 tankers to serve areas where the Khadakpurna reservoir has repeatedly dried to dead storage levels.


Catchment area treatment, recognised as essential for controlling sedimentation, receives inadequate attention in project planning and execution.


The Gosikhurd project's catchment spans 34,863 square kilometres, with 24,243 square kilometres in Madhya Pradesh and 10,619 square kilometres in Maharashtra. This interstate division complicates coordinated watershed management necessary for sediment control.


The Central Water Commission's dam safety protocols require regular sedimentation assessments, but implementation remains inconsistent.

While CWC has surveyed 58 reservoirs using hydrographic techniques and studied 179 through remote sensing, many state-level projects lack current data on capacity loss. The 2020 Compendium on Sedimentation of Reservoirs in India, based on studies of 369 reservoirs, relies on data that is often 7-10 years old.


Legal Interventions and Regional Water Management Challenges


Forest clearances and environmental approvals create additional delays for maintenance projects.


The Human irrigation project, with the potential to irrigate 46,117 hectares, faced setbacks when the Maharashtra Wildlife Board refused clearance due to proximity to Tadoba Tiger Reserve.

Such regulatory complexities, while necessary for environmental protection, contribute to project delays and deferred maintenance.


Legal interventions increasingly highlight administrative failures. The National Green Tribunal's suo motu cognisance of Futala Lake's degradation in 2025 followed media reports of environmental deterioration due to neglect and poor maintenance.


The Bombay High Court's scrutiny of fund allocation disparities between regions has exposed systemic issues in resource distribution for water infrastructure maintenance.


Eastern districts face particular challenges due to river systems originating in Madhya Pradesh.


The August 2020 floods demonstrated how upstream dam management affects downstream areas, with the Central Water Commission issuing notices to three dam operators for violating reservoir operation schedules.


The flood response revealed coordination gaps between states sharing river basins, complicating integrated water resource management.


Marathwada region, bordering the area, shows similarly severe capacity reductions. Water storage in 964 dams fell to 40.54 per cent in October 2023 compared to 88.09 per cent the previous year. The region's experience provides a preview of conditions that could affect neighbouring areas without prompt intervention.


Climate change exacerbates existing problems through altered rainfall patterns and increased extreme weather events. The 2023 Southwest Monsoon recorded 94 per cent of the long-term average rainfall, but uneven distribution left many reservoirs below capacity.


Meteorological data shows rainfall deficits of 11 per cent in 2021, with more severe shortages in districts like Amravati and Gadchiroli.


The convergence of siltation, climate variability, and administrative gaps creates compounding challenges for water security across Vidarbha.


Without systematic desilting programmes and improved catchment management, the reservoirs and lakes will continue their steady decline, deepening agricultural distress and water scarcity that have plagued the area for decades.

The technical solutions exist, but political will and adequate funding remain elusive, leaving the water infrastructure vulnerable to further degradation with each passing monsoon season.


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The NewsDirt is a trusted source for authentic, ground-level journalism, highlighting the daily struggles, public issues, history, and local stories from Vidarbha’s cities, towns, and villages. Committed to amplifying voices often ignored by mainstream media, we bring you reliable, factual, and impactful reporting from Vidarbha’s grassroots.

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