Kolhapur: The irrigation department has issued high alert for the villages on the downstream of Koyna river as the Koyna dam is filled to 99% of its capacity.Currently the intensity of rainfall has been reduced but if the region receives heavy rain again, the department will have to release water from the dam and there will be less time to alert the villagers, said an official from the irrigation department.Meanwhile, officials from the India Meteorological Department said south Maharashtra, including Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara districts, will receive light to moderate rainfall for the next few days.The storage capacity of Koyna dam is 105.25 TMC and at present it is holding more than 104 TMC water.“As per the IMD forecast, the catchment areas of the dam and other parts in the vicinity will not receive heavy rainfall for the next few days. But if the intensity of rain in the region increases, leading to increase in the flow of water into the dam, we will left with no option but open the gates of the dam. Then, we will not get enough time to alert the villages on the banks of the river,” said an official from the irrigation department in Satara.“So, we have asked all the villages along the river to remain alert and make arrangements to relocate if the rainfall increases,” he added.“We appeal to the villagers to take care of their agricultural implements, electric motors and cattle if any emergency occurs. The flow of water may increase during discharge of water from the dam and as a security measure we request people not to enter the river for swimming or any other purpose. Instructions have been given to the respective officials and disaster management teams to be prepared to tackle any untoward situation,” the official said.In Kolhapur district, meanwhile, the intensity of rain has been reduced with the district receiving 3.81mm rainfall on Sunday. Shahuwadi taluka received the highest rainfall of 10.5mm in the district. Twenty-one KT weirs in the district continued to remain under water.The water level of the rivers in the district has been reducing steadily. The level of Panchganga river at Rajaram KT weir was 16 feet 6 inch on Sunday.The Radhanagari dam, having capacity of 8.361 TMC, was holding 8.23 TMC water currently.

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