📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ibrahim Bohra
Agriculture
Mahi Dam water drops to 68 MCM; 6,000 ha in MP to receive irrigation in two phases
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 11 Nov 2026, 03:19 PM
👁 15
Low rainfall has cut water stored at Mahi Dam to 68 million cubic metres, down from 135 million last year, prompting the state to limit irrigation for 6,000 hectares to two turns instead of five.
The Mahi reservoir in Madhya Pradesh has seen its water storage fall sharply to 68 million cubic metres (MCM) this season, a steep decline from the 135 MCM recorded last year, as the region grapples with below‑normal rainfall. The reduced inflow has forced the state’s irrigation department to revise its water‑allocation plan for the upcoming rabi season. Farmers cultivating roughly 6,000 hectares that depend on the dam’s canal network will now receive water only twice during the season, instead of the usual five irrigations. The department has announced that the limited supply will be released in two distinct phases, aiming to distribute the scarce water as evenly as possible across the affected plots. Officials warned that the shortfall could impact crop yields and have urged farmers to adopt water‑saving practices while the monsoon outlook remains uncertain.