The Kukadi canal water release for rabi crops has begun after a gap of several months, providing irrigation support to farms across seven talukas in Maharashtra and allowing sowing and onion cultivation to gather pace. Water is also being released into the Neera riverbed from the Neera Deoghar dam to support drinking water, agriculture and livestock needs in downstream villages.
The Kukadi Irrigation Department began the rabi rotation from the Dimbhe Left Bank Canal and the Pimpalgaon Joge Canal on Friday evening, following requests from farmers. The Dimbhe canal rotation began on November 12, according to the department. The release is expected to benefit rabi crops in Junnar, Ambegaon, Shirur, Parner, Karjat, Karmala and Shrigonda talukas.
The department said water was being released from Yedgaon Dam into the Dimbhe Left Bank Canal at 1,400 cusecs. The rotation is scheduled to continue until December 10. The 249-kilometre canal system is expected to support rabi cultivation across approximately 97,000 hectares in Junnar, Karjat, Karmala, Parner and Shrigonda, according to the report.
A separate release into the Dimbhe Left Bank Canal began at 550 cusecs through the powerhouse route on Friday, with the water currently being transferred to Yedgaon Dam. Rotations in the 40-kilometre Meena Branch Canal and the 13-kilometre Ghode Branch Canal are scheduled to begin between November 15 and November 18. The department said these branches would support rabi crops across 20,728 hectares in Junnar, Ambegaon and Shirur.
The Pimpalgaon Joge Canal received a release of 250 cusecs from Pimpalgaon Joge Dam from Friday. This rotation is expected to run for about 35 days and benefit approximately 12,315 hectares of rabi cultivation in Junnar and Parner. The department said the combined releases would support rabi crops across about 156,000 hectares in the seven talukas.
Ganesh Nannor, executive engineer of Kukadi Irrigation Department Division 1, said farmers should prioritise short-duration grain crops, vegetables and fodder crops. He also appealed to farmers to use the released water carefully. The rotations have been enabled despite drought conditions, according to the department.
The Neera Deoghar system has also brought flowing water back to sections of the Neera river. Water has been released through the dam’s powerhouse into the riverbed for the past four to five days. The release began on November 9 following requests from farmers and has continued at 750 cusecs for six days, the report said. A similar release at the same rate had begun on October 29 but was stopped after three days before being resumed amid increased demand from farmers in the eastern region.
The river release is raising water levels in wells along the riverbank and is expected to support downstream villages, farmers and livestock. Sharan Kivde, a branch engineer with the Water Resources Department, appealed to users not to waste the water and to ensure that it is used efficiently. The Kukadi and Neera Deoghar releases will continue according to the irrigation schedules announced by the respective departments.
