Ripples of concern over green hue in Bhatghar dam’s water

Pune: Water in Bhatghar dam near Bhor, around 60 km from the city, turned moss green a few days ago, causing many a forehead to crease in worry. The district administration and the irrigation department collected samples of the water and sent them for laboratory testing. The water has returned to its normal colour.

Bhor sub-divisional officer Vikas Kharat told TOI a team from the district administration visited the dam immediately after the incident was reported. “We have not received any complaints from citizens about health issues, and an initial assessment suggests the water is safe to drink,” he said.

A senior official from the irrigation department said the water in a section of the reservoir suddenly changed colour on June 20. Preliminary findings suggest that the discolouration may have been caused by excessive use of fish feed. “The quality of the water was not affected,” the official said.

Bhatghar supplies water to Veer dam, a major source of drinking water for parts of Pune, Solapur, and Satara districts. Sudesh Shinde, a Pune resident who was on a picnic with friends, said he was taken aback by the changed water colour. “Villagers told us that they were afraid to use the water as they feared contamination,” Shinde said.

The official sought to downplay this fear. “Excessive use of fish feed may have led to algae formation, which caused the water to change colour. This may have led people to mistakenly believe the water was unsafe,” the officer said.

Irrigation department officials said the water’s colour returned to normalcy in two or three days. “We have written to the assistant commissioner of the fisheries department to confirm whether an unusual quantity of fish food was used by licensed operators,” the official said.