Pune, Maharashtra’s vibrant cultural hub, faces an imminent water crisis as the Khadakwasla project’s dams, vital sources of drinking water for the city, grapple with alarmingly low storage levels. With just 10.22 Thousand Million Cubic feet (TMC) of water remaining in the four dams – Khadakwasla, Temghar, Panshet, and Varasgaon – out of their total capacity of 29.15 TMC, Pune has a scant 45 days’ worth of water left.
Dwindling Reserves and Evolving Demands:
Compared to the same period last year, the water storage in these crucial reservoirs has plummeted by 2.62 TMC, exacerbating an already precarious situation. The burgeoning urbanization in suburban areas and the recent inclusion of 23 villages from the Zilla Parishad into the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have escalated water demands, with the city now requiring over 2 TMC of water per month.
Strained Water Allocation:
Despite an annual quota of 14.61 TMC sanctioned for Pune by the Water Resources Department, the city’s annual water usage overshoots this allotment, standing at 20.49 TMC. Evaporation losses and the allocation of water for Daund city and rural areas further strain the available resources, leaving Pune in a perilous predicament.
Critical Dam Levels:
The individual dam-wise water storage paints a grim picture of the severity of the situation:
- Temghar: Merely 0.29 TMC, constituting a mere 7.86% of its capacity.
- Varasgaon: Holds 5.16 TMC, amounting to 40.27% of its capacity.
- Panshet: Stands at 3.68 TMC, representing 34.53% of its capacity.
- Khadakwasla: Registers 1.08 TMC, marking 54.94% of its capacity.
Mitigation Efforts and Planning:
Acknowledging the looming crisis, the Water Resources Department is intensifying efforts to manage water allocation and usage meticulously. A senior official from the department, speaking on condition of anonymity, cautioned that the current water storage would suffice only until the end of May. Judicious water conservation practices are imperative to avert an acute crisis in the ensuing months.
As Pune braces itself for the challenges ahead, collaborative efforts between government agencies, residents, and civic bodies become paramount to navigate the looming water scarcity and safeguard the city’s water security for the future.
