Incessant rainfall over Pune and adjoining areas for the last one week are fast filling up the major reservoirs supplying water to Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. An official at the irrigation department said if rainfall persisted, water may soon be released from the dams. Three out of the five main dams in Pune — Khadakwasla, Panshet, Warasgaon, Temghar and Pawana — had over 40 per cent water stock on Tuesday. Having touched 51.99 per cent of its total capacity, Khadakwasla topped the charts and is fast filling (see box I).
For a week now, parts of madhya Maharashtra and Konkan have seen widespread, continuous and heavy showers that resulted in a significant surge in the water stock in reservoirs, said the official. “At this rate, we are hopeful that the dams would soon be reaching their optimum capacity and we can release the water downstream. We are constantly monitoring the water levels,” the official added.
The rainfall scenario over Maharashtra has also improved during this period, with only five out of 36 districts — Aurangabad, Jalna, Nandurbar, Buldhana and Sangli — remaining rainfall deficient. Even otherwise parched Marthwada has benefitted from the rainfall last week, with Osmanabad, Latur and Hingoli receiving 25 to 40 per cent more rain than normal, said the official.