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In rural Pune, over 1.9 lakh depend on tanker, dams at slightly lower capacity than last year

In the city, Pune Municipal Corporation has declared that only alternate day water supply will be available from June 15. Rural areas in the district are also coming under increasing stress due to the delayed monsoon.

A delayed monsoon in 2026 has left over 1.9 lakh rural Pune residents dependent on 124 water tankers across 114 villages. With the traditional June 8–10 arrival date missed, the prolonged dry spell has raised severe concerns over depleting dam water levels.

A delayed monsoon in 2026 has left over 1.9 lakh rural Pune residents dependent on 124 water tankers across 114 villages. (File Photo)

Written by: Soham Shah

3 min readJun 15, 2026 01:47 PM IST First published on: Jun 14, 2026 at 08:19 PM IST

The delayed monsoon in 2026 has left over 1.9 lakh people in rural areas of Pune district dependent on water tankers for water supply. According to Pune Zila Parishad data, 124 tankers were dispatched on June 11 to cover 114 villages with a total population of 1,93,809. The usual monsoon onset date in Maharashtra is June 8-10. However, monsoon has not set in till Pune till June 12, raising concerns over water levels in dams and the supply issues that might follow.

In the city, Pune Municipal Corporation has declared that only alternate day water supply will be available from June 15. Rural areas in the district are also coming under increasing stress due to the delayed monsoon. The highest number of tankers are being supplied to regions in the Ambegaon (26) and Junnar (21) talukas, followed by regions in Purandar (18), Khed (15), Indapur (13), and Shirur (12). Some tankers are also being supplied to Bhor (8), Haveli (8), and Daund (1). Baramati, Maval, Mulshi, and Velhe do not have any tankers supplying water to them at this point.

Amit Patharwat, Pune ZP rural water supply department’s executive engineer, said that currently water supply through tankers is being smoothly provided to rural areas. He, however, said that a continued lack of rain could lead to water supply issues.
On top of irrigation dams, rural areas also get a significant portion their water supply from wells, borewells, aquifers, and other such sources.

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Water crisis

Dams at slightly lower capacity than last year

According to data from the state’s Water Resources Department, 15 of the 22 large and medium dams in the Pune district are at a lower capacity as compared to the same date last year.

Six dams are at a higher capacity than last year and one dam held 0 storage last year as well as this year. Of the 22 dams in the district, Bhama Askhed dam, Pawana dam, and the Khadakwasla system comprising Khadakwasla, Panshet, Temghar, and Varasgaon dams, are used for water supply. The other dams are largely used for irrigation purposes.

Pruthviraj Phalke, Superintending Engineer at Pune Irrigation Circle under the Water Resources Department, told The Indian Express, “Last year Monsoon had begun on May 10 and continued till November. That is why the dams had more water last year.”

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He also said that dams supplying water to Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad cities had adequate water supply till August 31.
However, a weaker monsoon could mean that water supply leading up to next year will come under stress.

“PMC uses extra water in general. Each person should not use more than 150 liters. PMC should be using 15 TMC according to its 90 lakh population. However, it is 22 TMC in reality. The PMC uses approximately 45 per cent extra water. People need to use water more mindfully, the per head consumption is really high,” Phalke added.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent Read More

# Maharashtra water crisis