The Akole water release dispute intensified after MLA Kiran Lahamte alleged that authorities ordered a release from the region’s reservoirs without first convening the canal advisory committee meeting required for water distribution planning. The issue affects drinking-water supplies for 32 villages and irrigation access for farmers, including beneficiaries of around 400 farm ponds.
Lahamte raised the issue at a meeting held on Monday, attended by all-party representatives and farmer representatives to discuss Akole taluka’s water requirements. According to the report by Sakal – Pune, the MLA questioned why farmers were being denied their share of water despite available storage in reservoirs in the region.
The MLA alleged that Guardian Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil had ordered the release without holding a meeting of the canal advisory committee. Such a meeting was expected to determine the distribution plan before the reservoir cycle, or आवर्तन, was released. Lahamte expressed strong dissatisfaction over the alleged bypassing of this process.
The absence of senior officials further increased tensions at the meeting. Executive engineers Swapnil Kale, Pradeep Hafse and Hadre Gehraj were reported to be absent. Deputy engineers Jagdish Darode and Pratim Shewale attended in their place. Farmer representatives and local leaders questioned the administration over the lack of direct participation by the officials responsible for managing the water system.
The dispute centres partly on the planning of water stored in the Nilwande Dam. The report cited a storage figure of approximately 7,820 TMC and said questions were raised about the planning of water reserved for the dam’s command area. Lahamte also criticised the absence of a clear plan to supply Akole through the upstream canals.
The MLA said Akole’s requirements should be considered while planning the use of water from Nilwande Dam. The demand includes drinking water for 32 villages and irrigation water for farmers in the command areas of about 400 farm ponds. The claim made by local representatives is that available storage is not translating into assured access for the taluka’s residents and farmers.
The meeting also revisited an earlier assurance concerning water from Bhandardara Dam. Water was expected to be released into Nilwande Dam and then supplied to Akole through the lower and upstream-level canals. Lahamte alleged that this assurance had not been implemented in practice and sought an explanation from the administration.
The immediate administrative question is whether a canal advisory committee meeting will now be convened to formalise water distribution for Akole. The report does not provide a response from the absent executive engineers or a fresh schedule for the release through the relevant canals. Further action will depend on the administration’s water-allocation planning and its response to the demands raised at the meeting.
