Nagpur’s water security is under fresh pressure after Totladoh reservoir lost 65.63 million cubic metres (MCM) of live storage in 10 days, with the city’s main water source falling to 44.73% of its designed live capacity, according to Water Resources Department data reported by the Times of India.
The reservoir’s live storage declined from 520.55 MCM on October 5 to 454.92 MCM on October 15, an average depletion of 6.56 MCM a day. On October 15 last year, Totladoh held 99.68% of its designed live storage, indicating a sharp year-on-year decline in the reservoir’s available stock.
Totladoh has a direct bearing on Nagpur’s daily water supply. The city currently receives around 740 million litres per day (MLD) of treated water. Totladoh supplies about 520 MLD through the Pench system, while another 220 MLD is drawn from the Kanhan river. This means Totladoh accounts for approximately 70% of Nagpur’s daily water requirement.
The reservoir is also not used only by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation. A senior Water Resources Department official told the Times of India that 15 other government agencies withdraw water from Totladoh. These include power stations, municipal councils, nagar panchayats and gram panchayats, adding to the demands on the system.
Storage has also declined in Kamthi Khairy reservoir, another important water source in the region. Its live storage fell from 112.14 MCM on October 5 to 101.06 MCM on October 15, a reduction of 11.08 MCM. Its storage level dropped from 78.98% to 71.18% of its designed live capacity during the same period.
Other reservoirs in the Nagpur region recorded declines as well. Khindsi’s live storage fell from 71.04 MCM to 57.68 MCM between October 5 and 15. Nand reservoir declined from 45.61 MCM to 41.08 MCM, while Wadgaon fell from 80.48 MCM to 74.92 MCM.
The state has reserved water for drinking purposes until August 2027. However, the current reservoir levels and recent depletion rates have raised concerns over how available stocks will be managed through the coming summer. A mathematical calculation based on the latest rate of decline suggests that Totladoh’s live storage could last around 69 days and Kamthi Khairy’s around 91 days.
The figures are not definitive forecasts. Actual reservoir levels will depend on planned releases, fresh inflows and irrigation requirements, according to the source cited in the report. The immediate challenge for the authorities is therefore to manage the available water in Totladoh and other reservoirs until the next monsoon replenishes the system.
