Pune: The Ujani dam, western Maharashtra’s largest reservoir with a 116 TMC capacity, received nearly 23 TMC of inflow over the past four days, replenishing its live stock to about 8 TMC on Wednesday after it stayed below zero-storage level for nearly six weeks, relying solely on dead stock. The development follows widespread rain in Pune district and sustained water release from upstream reservoirs.Irrigation department officials said the situation was critical till last week, when the reservoir’s storage had fallen to minus 15 TMC, indicating that nearly 15 TMC of water from the dead storage reserve had been utilised to meet drinking water needs. “Substantial inflows from upstream dams over the last four days, however, significantly improved the reservoir’s condition. Its stock is expected to rise further as upstream dams in Pune district continue to discharge water,” an official said.Ujani receives water released from the Khadakwasla circle, as well as major reservoirs like Pavana, Mulshi and Veer. The officials said inflows and reservoir levels were being monitored closely. “But there is currently no plan to release water from Ujani despite the recent increase in storage,” an official said.Located on the Pune-Solapur district border, Ujani is among the most crucial reservoirs in the region. It supplies drinking water to Solapur and parts of Pune and Ahilyanagar districts. The dam also supports irrigation across vast sugar cane-growing areas in the three districts, while Solapur and Pandharpur cities depend on it for potable water.Last year, the reservoir had reached full capacity, but storage levels gradually declined over the subsequent months before falling into dead storage. Irrigation officials said if monsoon activity remained strong through Aug and Sept, the reservoir could move towards full capacity by the end of monsoon season.Koyna stock at 37%Storage in the Koyna dam, another key reservoir in western Maharashtra, increased to 37% on Wednesday following heavy rainfall in its catchment area.The dam has received more than 1,400mm of rainfall since June 1, with particularly intense rain recorded over the last four days. Officials said the reservoir site has registered three-digit daily rainfall for three consecutive days, resulting in a substantial rise in inflows.Koyna, whose waters are primarily used for hydroelectric power generation, had a storage level of around 15% on July 4. The reservoir’s stock has more than doubled within four days due to sustained rainfall across the catchment. “Inflows remain strong and water levels are expected to continue rising if heavy rainfall persists in the region,” an official said.
