Nashik: With dam water in the district required to last until August 31, 2027 in view of El Nino, the Nashik irrigation division has set out a hard priority order for the rabi season. Drinking water comes first. Farmers come last.
A circular issued by executive engineer Sonal Shahaney sets out the sequence. Drinking water, livestock needs, industrial use and the fodder and seed programmes of the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation and other bodies will be met first. If water remains, low-water rabi cereal crops and high-fodder crops get priority, then other rabi crops.
The order covers farmers in the command areas of the Gangapur, Darana, Mukane, Palkhed, Kadwa, Bhavali, Waki, Bham, Gautami-Godavari, Kashyapi and Alandi reservoirs, and of the Gangapur left bank, Godavari right and left bank, Alandi left and right, Palkhed right bank, Kadwa right bank and Bhojapur left bank canal systems.
Farmers and water users' societies must file demand applications on form number 7 at their nearest irrigation sub-division office by 6.15 pm on November 20, 2026, and obtain a receipt. Applications after that will not be considered.
Municipal corporations, councils, nagar panchayats and gram panchayats have been told to run leak-reduction drives and cut consumption by at least 10 per cent, and to raise the cut if needed to stretch supplies to August 2027.
Farmers have been asked to lean on drip and sprinkler irrigation. The circular is blunt about risk: if a rotation delivers less water and crops suffer, the loss is the farmer's, and the water resources department will pay no compensation.
The district's 26 major dams hold about 65,491 Mcft, or 92.74 per cent of capacity. The Gangapur group is at 92 per cent and the Darana group at 90 per cent. Even so, 37 tankers are supplying water in four talukas. El Nino is expected to persist into February.
District collector Ayush Prasad has urged residents to start planning their water use now.