Nagpur’s water supply is facing fresh pressure after storage in the Totladoh reservoir fell to 49.85%, its lowest level in four years, while a proposed 10% reduction in water allocation may take effect from October 16. The Pench system, which depends on Totladoh, supplies nearly 70% of the city’s present 740 million litres per day (MLD) requirement.
Water Resources Department data cited by the Times of India shows that Totladoh held 506.99 million cubic metres (MCM) of live storage on October 7, against its designed live storage of 1,016.93 MCM. The reservoir was 99.92% full on the same date in 2025, 99.45% in 2024 and 98.45% in 2023.
The year-on-year decline amounts to 509.10 MCM, or a fall of 50.07 percentage points in the share of designed live storage. The sharp reduction has raised concern over the city’s ability to maintain its current supply in the months ahead, particularly if the proposed water cut is applied proportionately.
Nagpur currently receives 520 MLD through the Pench-I, II, III and IV water treatment plants. A further 220 MLD comes through the Kanhan water treatment plant, taking the city’s total daily supply to 740 MLD. A full 10% reduction would represent approximately 74 MLD and could bring the available supply to around 666 MLD.
Officials, however, said drinking water would remain the priority and indicated that the proposed reduction would not necessarily translate into a full 10% cut in Nagpur’s drinking water supply. The final impact on the city’s distribution system will depend on how the reduction is implemented and apportioned.
The decline is not limited to Totladoh. Kamthi-Khairi reservoir was at 78.16% on October 7, compared with 98.43% a year earlier. Khindsi stood at 66.17%, against 100% in 2025, while Nand was at 84.54%, compared with 100% last year. Wadgaon’s storage was 58.98%, down from 100% on the same date in 2025.
The figures place the Pench system at the centre of Nagpur’s immediate water-security concern. With daily demand reported at 740 MLD and the proposed reduction scheduled for consideration from October 16, authorities will have to determine how available reservoir stocks are managed while preserving drinking water as the priority.
