The Maharashtra Water Resources Department has deployed eight security guards along the Nira Left Canal to prevent illegal diversion of water being released for Shetfal Lake in Indapur taluka, Pune district. The department said the security arrangement is intended to ensure that the water reaches the lake at full pressure and supports drinking-water and agricultural needs in the surrounding area.
The guards have been deployed at the heads of canal branches and will patrol the canal banks throughout the day and night. According to the department, the team has been appointed through the Pune District Security Guards Board and includes personnel from Bhor taluka, including Arun Tupe and Pandurang Kumkar.
Assistant engineers V. P. Kate and Rohit Zhanje, along with branch engineer Ratan Zhagde, said water release from the Nira Left Canal to Shetfal Lake had begun. The guards will monitor each branch head, where small gates known locally as chimneys can be opened to divert water into fields.
The department said farmers had allegedly been opening these small gates at night during previous water rotations and taking water illegally for irrigation. Such diversions reduced the pressure and volume of water reaching Shetfal Lake, preventing it from filling completely. The deployment of guards is intended to address that operational problem during the current rotation.
The Water Resources Department has appealed to farmers not to remove or operate the gates illegally. It said anyone found stealing water would face action under the applicable rules. The department has not specified the number of cases registered during earlier rotations or the total cost of the security deployment.
The water release comes as the lake’s storage has fallen over the past several months, causing concern among farmers in the area. The department said filling Shetfal Lake could provide temporary relief for drinking-water and irrigation requirements. Local water planning will depend significantly on the canal supply over the coming months, with the department emphasising the need to prevent losses during transmission.
The current rotation is expected to continue until water reaches Shetfal Lake. The next operational milestone will be the lake’s filling level and the department’s assessment of whether the released water has reached it at the required pressure.
