The burden of silt: Muddy water in reservoirs

Mumbai : Temperatures in Delhi have fallen. Mumbaikars are wading through water. The Meteorological department says India has received a good amount of rainfall over the past two weeks. But across the country our water sources are dipping to unusable levels - a situation that could well have been avoided.

India can no longer draw water from 81 of its most important dams and reservoirs as levels have fallen to muddy lows.

Well guess what? You still could have had governments removed the silt from these bodies on a regular basis.

Data from the Central Water Commission shows that dams across the country have never been de-silted, leading to a decrease in their water holding capacity.

Mumbai's Upper Vaitarna reservoir's capacity has been reduced by 22 per cent. The capacity of Maharashtra's biggest dam, the Koyna has been reduced by 26.5 per cent. The capacity of one of India's biggest dams and certainly its most silted, the Hirakud, has come down by 27.25 per cent.

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"To build dams forests are cut down. This leads to erosion and silting and then when the capacity is reduced and demand for water rises, either the height of the dam is raised or newer dams are planned which means more deforestation and de-silting. It is like a vicious cycle," explains Rishikesh Chavan, Conservation Officer, BNHS.

"The amount of money it costs us to clean dams and reservoirs will be enough to make a new one," says Ajit Pawar, Irrigation Minister, Maharashtra.

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A solution that's perhaps become a problem in itself.