Pune: Authorities will stop releasing water from the Khadakwasla circle dams for rural areas by this weekend, leaving around 21.5 TMC of water in the four dams to meet the requirements of Pune city and rural areas over the next nine months. The existing stock is around 5.5 TMC lower than the storage recorded in the dams around mid-Nov last year.With lower water storage this year, the next water release rotation for rural areas remains uncertain. The irrigation department generally releases water for agriculture in two rotations during the winter season. However, the second rotation is uncertain this year, sources in the department said.They said water would be released for rural areas, but the schedule would be decided later. The ongoing release will be stopped completely by the weekend.The collective storage in the four dams in the Khadakwasla circle — Panshet, Varasgaon, Temghar and Khadakwasla — stood at 22.61 TMC on Monday. Around 1 TMC of water is likely to be released over the next six days for rural areas and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), bringing the total stock down to around 21.5 TMC by Nov 15.The civic administration has said it will review the ongoing weekly water cuts after Diwali. The frequency of the cuts could increase from once to twice a week. However, the irrigation department wants the civic body to implement alternate-day water supply. The PMC does not favour such a move.Sources in the PMC said the irrigation department’s demand was unacceptable as it could cause a major water crisis across the city. To oppose the demand, BJP leaders in the civic body approached chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last week, seeking assurance that 13 TMC of water would be reserved for the city until the next monsoon. The leaders maintained that state govt had given top priority to meeting drinking water requirements and that the irrigation department could not insist on releasing more water for rural areas at the cost of the city’s supply.PMC standing committee chairperson Shrinath Bhimale, who led the delegation to meet the chief minister, said Khadakwasla had already supplied over 5 TMC of water to rural areas during the ongoing month-long release rotation. “This has helped replenish ponds and lakes in the region. The dams had reached 100% of their storage capacity during the monsoon, and the city should not face further curtailment in water supply,” he said.“Around 21 TMC of water will be available in the dams around Nov 15. Of this, 13 TMC should be allocated to the PMC, leaving 8 TMC. Around 3 TMC will be lost to evaporation and seepage, while some water will have to be retained as buffer stock. At least 5 TMC of water should remain in the dams,” another BJP leader said.Pune mayor Manjusha Nagpure, along with other party leaders in the PMC, is likely to discuss the city’s water supply plans for the period after Diwali.
