Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Residents, activists and politicians have demanded Rs750 crore from the government to carry out repair works on the Jayakwadi dam canal systems ahead of the state cabinet meeting taking place here on Saturday.The Paithan Left Bank Canal (PLBC) and Paithan Right Bank Canal (PRBC) — the two canal systems of the dam — have developed major cracks, and have been causing significant water loss.CPI leader from Parbhani, Rajan Kshirsagar, said the state cabinet must clear Rs750 crore for the canal systems repairs. The canal systems need major repair, which cannot be carried out during routine maintenance work. Jayakwadi dam is a lifeline for Marathwada, however, the water released from the dam does not reach everyone properly due to the damaged canal system, Kshirsagar said.The PLBC of the dam is 208km long, with a gross command area of 2,03,958 hectares and an irrigable command area of 1,41,640 hectares in Aurangabad, Jalna and Parbhani districts. The PRBC is around 132km long, with a gross command area of 59,900 hectares and an irrigable command area of 41,682 hectares in Aurangabad and Beed districts in Marathwada, and Ahmednagar district.Activist Abhijit Dhanorkar said the poor state of the canal systems limits the speed of water discharge. Water is released at a reduced speed due to the poor state of canals, which further increases the transit loss, he said.Godavari Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation (GMIDC) authorities said the whole canal system has not undergone any major repair work since the commissioning of the dam around 44 years ago. The system could undergo an overhaul with proper funding. The system involves main canals, sub-canals, distributaries, minors and outlet gates. Certain repair work was carried out in 2005 through government funding, but we need more funds for an overhaul, a senior GMIDC official said.We also published the following articles recentlyBoy jumps into canal over poor exam, savedA 15-year-old student in Ludhiana attempted suicide by jumping into the Sidhwan Canal. Onlookers noticed and alerted divers who rescued the child. The student revealed that he had attempted suicide due to a poor exam result. His parents were contacted and he was sent home with them. No police complaint was filed in the incident.No let-up in water flow into Mutha canal till rain revivesThe irrigation department in Pune will continue to release water from the Khadakwasla dam into the Mutha canal to meet the demand for kharif crops due to low rainfall in certain areas. However, if good rain is received in the next few weeks, the water release will be stopped. The water supply in the city will not be affected by this release. The stock in the four dams is currently at 94%, but the inflow of rainwater has decreased significantly.

Stay updated with all the Latest Aurangabad headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.