Dams in south central Maharashtra districts receive moderate rainfall

Kolhapur: Moderate rainfall lashed the plains and ghat regions of Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, and Solapur districts on Thursday. Typical monsoon conditions prevailed throughout the day, with intermittent passing showers in the morning and evening providing a brief respite only during the afternoon.The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for the ghat areas of Kolhapur and Satara. The forecast predicts thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of 40–50 kmph, suggesting a period of heavy rainfall ahead.In Kolhapur city, the sky remained overcast and gloomy throughout Thursday. Heavy morning and evening spells led to waterlogging in several low-lying areas and major intersections, including Tararani Chowk, Temblai Flyover, Venus Corner, Shahupuri Main Road, CSIBER Chowk, Papachi Tikti, Mahadwar Road, and Devkar Panand.

The resulting water accumulation led to significant traffic congestion during peak hours.Despite the steady rain, the Panchaganga river remains well below the danger mark. A disaster management official stated, “The water level at the Rajaram barrage has increased to 13 feet. This is still significantly below the warning level of 39 feet.”The recent downpour has also revitalised local tourism. The Ramtirth waterfall on the Hiranyakeshi river near Ajra has begun cascading to its full capacity, drawing a large number of visitors eager to experience the monsoon attraction.

The catchment areas of major dams in the region recorded healthy rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Thursday. Patgaon dam recorded the highest rainfall at 88mm, followed by Koyna (64mm), Radhanagari (40mm), Dudhganga (35mm), and Dhom Balkawadi (26mm).The water storage capacity in various dams in south central Maharashtra region compared to the total capacity are as follows: Koyna 15.38 TMC (105.25 TMC), Dhom 3.81 (13.50), Kanher 3.49 (10.10), Dhom-Balkawadi 0.73 (4.08), Urmodi 3.15 (9.97), Tarali 0.64 (5.85), Warna 11.76 (34.40), Radhanagari 2.31 (8.36), Dudhganga 2.19 (25.40), Tulshi 1.30 (3.47), Kasari 0.72 (2.77), Patgaon 1.11 (3.72), and Almatti 20.83 (123).