Pune: The collective stock in the four dams of the Khadakwasla circle rose by 0.50 TMC on Saturday — enough to meet the city’s water needs for 10 days — as Temghar, Varasgaon and Panshet each recorded over 100mm of rainfall in the 24 hours till evening amid intensified monsoon activity in the catchment areas.Irrigation department officials expect inflows to gather further momentum over the next few days with heavy rainfall continuing to over the catchment areas. “The monsoon is very active over the dam catchments. Inflows into reservoirs have increased significantly over the last two days. Dedicated monitoring teams have been stationed at every major dam to closely track water levels and incoming flows,” an irrigation department official said.Pavana dam, a key source of water for Pimpri Chinchwad, recorded 90mm rainfall during the period, while Andra received 45mm. Several reservoirs nestled in the ghat regions witnessed intense spells, with the officials reporting that at least six to seven dams registered three-digit rainfall between Friday and Saturday.Among the standout performers were Mulshi, Vadivale, Gunjawani and Kalmodi dams, each receiving close to 100mm rainfall, reinforcing hopes of a steady revival in water stocks.Authorities are, however, not yet ready to open the floodgates as Pune district’s network of more than 20 major dams remains well below critical storage levels. “There are immediate plans for water release as the dam storages have only just begun recovering. Water discharge will be considered only after individual reservoirs reach around 80% capacity,” the official said.The slight rise seen in river levels is currently being attributed to runoff from free catchment areas rather than dam releases. “The current storage of 4.68 TMC in the Khadakwasla circle dams remains nearly 13 TMC lower than the corresponding level recorded on the same day last year. In view of the shortfall, we have decided to reserve the available stock primarily for Pune’s drinking water needs,” another official said.Water cuts will continue for now: PMCHeavy rainfall may have brought much-needed relief to reservoirs, but residents have yet to see any benefit with Pune Municipal Corporation on Saturday ruling out withdrawal of alternate-day water supply, citing poor rain forecast in second half of July.Mayor Manjusha Nagpure said that although the rains have strengthened, dam storages are still far away from a comfortable level. “Rainfall may taper off towards July-end. We must continue exercising caution and use water judiciously. A decision on easing water cuts will be taken at an appropriate time,” she said.The city shifted to alternate-day water supply on June 15 after the irrigation department urged PMC to curb consumption amid dwindling reserves. According to PMC’s water supply department, the measure has helped reduce overall water usage by nearly 25%. Officials have appealed to residents to avoid wastage and use water responsibly.Meanwhile, corporators have demanded stricter monitoring of private water tankers and regulation of the rates being charged to citizens during the ongoing restrictions.
