Good news for Punekars! City's weekly water cut withdrawn

Significant rainfall in the Khadakwasla dam chain has resulted in a considerable rise in water storage levels. The dam chain currently holds more than 21 TMC of water. As a result of this substantial increase, the Pune Municipal Corporation has taken the decision to eliminate the weekly water cut.

On Saturday morning, a review meeting was convened at the VVIP circuit house, chaired by Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil, to address the issue of water cuts in light of the surge in water storage in the dams. During the meeting, it was unanimously decided to revoke the water cut.

Following sufficient rainfall in July, the authorities have commenced the release of water from Khadakwasla dam. Anirudh Pavaskar, who heads the Water Supply Department of Pune Municipal Corporation, stated that due to the water levels being equivalent to last year's July, the decision to lift the water cut has been made. Additionally, he mentioned that a review meeting will be scheduled after six weeks to assess the status of available water reserves.

Since May 18, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had been implementing a weekly water supply shutdown for the entire city due to a water shortage. As of June 30, the Khadakwasla dam chain had meagre water storage of only 4.70 TMC, leading to the continuation of water cuts due to insufficient rainfall. However, in July, heavy rains in the dam area significantly improved the situation, resulting in a combined storage of 21.46 TMC across the four dams – Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon, and Temghar. As there are still two more months of monsoon ahead, the PMC has decided to withdraw the water cuts for the city by carefully planning the water allocation for both agricultural needs and urban consumption.