Rabi sowing is off to a sluggish start. One reason is the delayed harvesting of kharif crops, especially paddy, in states such as Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh that has, in turn, slowed the planting of wheat.
The acreage lag may reduce in the coming weeks, but the crop sown beyond the optimal time is more exposed to risks from temperature spikes, like in March 2022. However, what is of more immediate concern is the water situation.
The latest data shows water levels in major reservoirs to be 20.2 per cent below last year and 92.9 per cent of the 10-year-average for this time. Reservoir levels are particularly low in the South (including the Nagarjuna Sagar, Srisailam, Somasila, Krishna Raja Sagara, Tungabhadra, Malaprabha, Mettur, Sholayar and Aliyar dams) and the cane belt of Maharashtra (Ujjani, Jayakwadi, Manjara and Girna). October has been about 26 per cent below average.
The Srisailam Dam is constructed across the Krishna River on the border of Mahabubnagar District, Telangana and Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh near Srisailam temple town and is the 2nd largest capacity working hydroelectric station in the country.The dam was constructed in a deep gorge in the Nallamala Hills in between Mahabubnagar and Kurnool districts, 300 m (980 ft) above sea level.
The Malaprabha dam is the shortest dam in Karnataka. It was built across the Malaprabha river in Belgaum. It is a tributary of the famous Krishna river. It is located in a small town called Saundatti in Belagavi.This dam has been designed to meet the drinking water requirements of the people of Belgaum, Dharwad, Gadag and Bagalkot.
Aliyar Dam is a charming location surrounded by Annamali Hills with wonderful natural views. Built across Aliyar River between 1959 and 1969, the primary purpose of the dam is to support irrigation for Pollachi and nearby places for Agriculture purposes. The height of the dam is 81 meters. There is a well maintained park built at the bottom of the Dam.
Ujjani Dam, also known as Bhima Dam or Bhima Irrigation Project, on the Bhima River, a tributary of the Krishna River, is an earthfill cum Masonry gravity dam located near Ujjani village of Madha Taluk in Solapur district of the state of Maharashtra in India.
The Bhima River, which originates in Bhimashankar of the Western Ghats, and forms the Bhima Valley with its tributary rivers and streams, has twenty-two dams built on it of which the Ujjani Dam is the terminal dam on the river.
