Collective stock in 4 lifeline dams over halfway mark

Pune: The collective storage in the four dams supplying water to the city crossed the halfway mark, as heavy rain continued in the catchment of three of these reservoirs during the 24 hours till 8am on Thursday.

The four dams have a collective storage capacity of around 29 TMC and at present have a stock of 15.03 TMC (51.56%).

During the 24 hours till Thursday morning, the collective storage in the four dams increased by around 2 TMC.

Though the rain in the catchment areas reduced to double digits, it remained heavy in three of the four dams till Thursday morning, irrigation department data revealed.

Barring an upcoming spell of good rain in the ghats on August 9 to August 10, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday stated that the downpour was likely to be good throughout the state, including Pune city and district, during the next fortnight of August.

The extended range forecast showed that after the ongoing spell, the rainfall was likely to pick up once again in most parts of the state after August 14, with possibility of good showers till August 27.

An irrigation department official said the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) lifted around 18 TMC water from the Khadakwasla complex per year. “The remaining around 11 TMC is used for irrigation and drinking water needs of villages along Daund and Indapur. Though the current 15 TMC storage is sufficient to meet Pune city’s drinking water needs for eight to nine months, part of it will be reserved for drinking water needs of villages along Daund and Indapur,” the official said.

Aniruddha Pawaskar, head of the PMC’s water department, told TOI, “The 15 TMC water in dams cannot be used fully to meet the city’s drinking water requirements, as part of it will also have to be used for agriculture and irrigation purposes. The current storage is hence still not sufficient. We expect good rain to continue in August, as per the IMD’s forecast. If similar rain continues for a week or so, the water stock in the four dams is likely to be replenished.”