Pune faces a growing water-cut risk after storage in the Khadakwasla reservoir system fell by 2.35 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) from last year’s level, prompting the Maharashtra government to announce a 10% reduction in water allocation. The cut has not yet been implemented in Pune, but the Water Resources Department is expected to issue formal instructions to the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations and other major users within two days.
The four reservoirs supplying Pune had a combined useful storage of 26.80 TMC, or 91.94% of capacity, compared with 29.15 TMC and 100% capacity during the same period last year, according to a report by Sakal – Pune. The 2.35 TMC decline represents an approximately 8% year-on-year reduction in available storage.
Pune requires about 21 TMC of water annually for its city supply. The current storage is therefore around 5.80 TMC higher than the estimated annual requirement. However, the Water Resources Department has indicated that the fall in storage makes revised consumption planning necessary, particularly as fresh inflows into the reservoir system have stopped.
The decline has not been uniform across the four reservoirs. Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar each continue to hold more than 90% of their capacity, while storage in Khadakwasla reservoir has been reduced to 43.89%. Water is currently being released for Pune from Khadakwasla at 628 cusecs and from Panshet and Varasgaon at 600 cusecs each through their powerhouses. There was no new inflow into any of the four reservoirs up to 6 am on Wednesday, according to the report.
The system received substantial rainfall in July after a largely dry June. The heavy July rain filled all four reservoirs to 100% capacity and led to the release of 19.05 TMC of water through the Khadakwasla spillway during the current monsoon. Rainfall became scattered from August, however, and storage began to decline.
The state government’s 10% water-cut announcement applies to Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation and other institutions supplied through the system. The exact operational schedule and local implementation measures will follow after the Water Resources Department’s communication. Pune has not begun enforcing the reduction so far.
Kiran Deshmukh, executive engineer with the Water Resources Department, said letters would be sent to the two municipal corporations, MIDC and other agencies within the next two days. “After the 10% reduction, revised planning will be carried out for the remaining available water,” he said, according to Sakal – Pune.
The immediate challenge for the civic authorities is to align daily releases and distribution with the revised allocation while maintaining supply across residential, institutional and industrial users. The next formal communication from the Water Resources Department will determine when the reduction takes effect and how the remaining storage is to be managed.
