Heavy showers in the last 72 hours have resulted in a surge in the water stocks of the four main dams which constitute the city’s potable water lifeline. The showers have helped make up the rainfall deficit which bedevilled the city last month and relieving fears of a possible water shortage.
After Nashik and Solapur, Pune recorded a healthy surplus (nearly 50 %) for the season. The storage of the Khadalwasla dam – the city’s main supplier - rose beyond the 50% mark for the first time this season with its stock climbing up to 1.15 TMC, while Panshet and Varasgaon recording a healthy rise in water stocks, reaching 5 TMCft and 5.11 TMCft respectively.
Authorities said the continuous rainfall was a positive sign as this year the Temghar dam, whose maximum storage capacity is 3.15 TMCft, is out of action owing to repair work. The collective storage of the four dams exceeded the halfway-mark, standing at a robust 53.70% with incessant rain in the catchment areas bolstering the water level in the past week. Meanwhile, the Koyna dam has filled up to 60 TMC of its 105 TMC, said officials. The city has, so far, received 285mm rainfall this season, 53 mm excess than the normal mark.
The meteorological department has forecasted heavy rains for western and central Maharashtra in the coming days. Incessant bouts of rain in Kolhapur district for the past four days saw a number of villages being cut off with the water levels of the Panchganga River rising precariously, exceeding its ‘danger mark’. The downpour has all but paralyzed traffic in the city since the beginning of the week with the district recording more than 30 mm rainfall in the last 12 hours.
According to the district administration’s disaster management cell, heavy rain was recorded in the catchment areas of Shahuwadi, Radhanagari and Gaganbawda tehsils of the district. Officials said that the Ghatprabha and Kode dams were completely filled, while the rest were more than 60% full.