E-Paper
Morbe Dam swells amid heavy rain; flap gates to be opened
As part of a precautionary measure to warn the tourists who flock to the area, the civic body also alerted the local tehsildar and police officials of releasing the water
Navi Mumbai: The Morbe dam, which supplies water to Navi Mumbai, is on the verge of overflowing due to incessant rainfall in the catchment area in the last couple of days.
The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), that owns the dam, said it will open the flap gates this week to release excess water from the dam.
As part of a precautionary measure to warn the tourists who flock to the area, the civic body also alerted the local tehsildar and police officials of releasing the water.
The dam overflows from a height of 88 metres. The current water capacity, till Sunday afternoon, reached up to 87.40 metres. Municipal commissioner Kailas Shinde that Morbe Dam’s full capacity is good news for the residents as the city will have enough water supply throughout the year.
“Due to continuous rainfall in the last two days in and around the Morbe Dam area, the water level has nearly reached its full capacity and it is about to overflow. In order to avoid flooding, when the water level reaches 87.85 metres, the flap gates are opened immediately. The excess water will be released into the Dhavari River. The gates are opened to manage the water level in the dam,” said the municipal commissioner.
He added that they have also informed the Khalapur tahsildar, the local police, the sarpanch and other concerned officials and administration about the opening of the flap gates. This will help them take precautionary measures as a number of tourists come to the area.
It is important to alert the officials because, Shinde said, “The local administration can warn the villagers not to venture near the Dhavari River.”
Morbe Dam is Navi Mumbai’s primary source of water
The dam is located near Khalapur in Raigad district, at Dhavri river, which originates from Patalganga river. Constructed on the foothills of Matheran near Chowk village of Raigad district, Morbe dam is owned by NMMC, the only civic body to have purchased its own dam after independence.
The maximum height at which water overflows in the dam is 88 metres. The dam has a total storage capacity of 190.89 million cubic metres.
NMMC sources 476.847 mld of raw water from the dam daily with 415.40 mld of treated pure water from it being supplied to the NMMC area. The water is supplied to over 1,27,000 water connections in the NMMC area. 15 mld water is used for gardens and watering plans on the dividers. 37 mld water is supplied to Kamothe node and the areas around Morbe dam.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
