This is an archive article published on April 10, 2023
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Summer alert: Temperature rising, dam level dipping, officials raise red flag on water
With temperatures rising and storage levels dipping in dams, the administration is facing an uphill task to ensure availability of sufficient water till the next monsoon.
"The PMC has asked the state water resource department to keep 7.94 TMC from the available storage reserved for Pune city to meet the demand of domestic needs," said a Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officer. (File/Representational)
Pune is yet to feel the full force of summer but the alarm bells are already ringing.
With temperatures rising and storage levels dipping in dams, the administration is facing an uphill task to ensure availability of sufficient water till the next monsoon.
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In the month of March alone, the temperature rose from 30 degrees to around 35 degrees, leading to a reduction in water storage levels by 3.97 TMC. The worst is yet to come, experts say. “The temperature is likely to remain high for two more months. It is predicted that this month the temperature will remain around 38 degrees as the city registered 37.2 degrees on April 6,” said sources from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
The city meets its water supply needs for domestic purposes from four dams upstream the Mutha river: Khadakwasla, Temghar, Panshet and Varasgaon. It draws water from Bhama Askhed dam to meet the demand of Nagar road.
At present, the water storage level in the dams is 13.71 TMC, which is less than half of the total storage capacity. “The water storage in the dams supplying the city was 18.58 TMC in the beginning of March but dropped to 14.61 TMC by month end. The water storage was reduced by 3.97 TMC due to increase in demand of water for domestic purposes, loss or theft and evaporation,” said an officer of the district water resource department.
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He said the IMD has predicted a delay in the start of monsoon, expecting it by August, “so the management of available water should be used judiciously”.
“The PMC has asked the state water resource department to keep 7.94 TMC from the available storage reserved for Pune city to meet the demand of domestic needs,” said a Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officer.
The district water resource department that does allocation and distribution of the water has planned to provide 5 TMC water for irrigation purposes from the available storage. In addition, there is likely to be loss of water due to leakages and more due to evaporation from the high temperature.
The district administration has been undertaking water management till July 15, hoping for the arrival of monsoon by then. But this time, there are signs of a delay in arrival, said a district water resource official.
“We will review the water situation by this month end and undertake management for the next few months till monsoon,” said Vijay Patil, Executive Engineer of Khadakwasla dam.
He said the district water resource department has urged the PMC to “judiciously use water to ensure the storage lasts for long or there will be a water crisis”.
"The PMC has asked the state water resource department to keep 7.94 TMC from the available storage reserved for Pune city to meet the demand of domestic needs," said a Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officer. (File/Representational) 
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