Pune will face a complete water supply shutdown every Thursday from October 15 as the municipal administration moves to conserve supplies amid rainfall uncertainty and lower water storage in the Khadakwasla dam chain. The weekly water cut is expected to save 180 million litres a day and 8.64 billion litres, or about 0.31 TMC, over a year.
The decision follows state government instructions to reduce water use by 10% and plan withdrawals according to the water available in reservoirs. Pune Municipal Corporation has said the revised schedule is intended to ensure that the city’s remaining water stock can meet demand in the coming period.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Pavniet Kaur appealed to residents to avoid wastage and use water carefully. The administration has asked households to plan their domestic requirements around the weekly shutdown, stop leakages promptly and avoid storing more water than necessary.
The municipal restrictions also cover construction, swimming pools, vehicle washing and other activities that use drinking water. Construction sites have been instructed to use treated water from sewage treatment plants or borewell water instead of potable water. Drinking water is also not to be used for washing vehicles, cleaning courtyards and footpaths, or operating public and private swimming pools and gardens.
Hotels, restaurants, private hostels and college hostels have been asked to cooperate with the conservation measures. The civic administration has advised these establishments and residents to use only the required quantity of water for bathing, washing utensils and laundry, and to prevent overflow after storage tanks are filled.
The Khadakwasla dam chain, which supplies Pune, currently has 26.22 TMC of water remaining, according to the report. The available storage is lower than at the same time last year, increasing the importance of regulating withdrawals and managing the city’s weekly supply schedule.
The civic administration has also warned of action against unauthorised water connections. Complaints or confirmed cases involving unauthorised connections may lead to action, including the filing of criminal cases. Residents have been asked to report leaking public infrastructure, broken pipelines and visible water wastage to the municipal corporation.
Pune Municipal Corporation currently lifts 1,650 million litres of water a week from the dams, according to the report. Under the new schedule, a four-day monthly reduction would amount to an estimated 720 million litres of savings. The weekly shutdown will remain part of the city’s water management plan as the administration monitors reservoir levels, rainfall and future demand.
