Restoration Of Stream Habitats At Chaskaman
Deep reservoirs do not offer favorable habitat for fish breeding, however, the shallow water area of the reservoir could be ideal for fish breeding.
The streams offer breeding ground to the riverine fish that migrate upstream during their breeding season. An experiment was carried out to restore fish breeding habitat in a mountain stream and thereby enhance the quality of shallow waters of the reservoir. The selected stream originated in the forested slopes in Bhimashankar in the catchment area of Chaskaman dam built on the river Bhima. The stream joins the reservoir near Bhorgiri village. The stream bed was made up of large and small boulders. 
Stream A 1.5 m high and 25 m long cascade dam was built on the stream near the village. 
Construction of a Cascade Dam During the monsoon, the water flowed over the dam. The dam held water for a few months after monsoon. 
Waterflow over Dam during Monsoon When the water was released from the dam, it was noted that a substrate of sand and small boulders had formed that is ideal for fish spawning. 
Substrate In the next monsoon, the fish could be seen trying to get over the cascade dam to go upstream.
Thus, the objective of creating suitable habitat for fish breeding was fulfilled.
