Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol
Water cuts will not be introduced in the city till the end of Ganesh Festival on September 1, the Pune Municipal Corporation said on Tuesday.
“Rainfall has been deficient so far and there is insufficient storage in the four dams upstream of Mula-Mutha river. There is only 9 TMC water in the four dams, which is 35 per cent of their capacity. In comparison, the storage was 90 per cent at this time last year,” said Mayor Murlidhar Mohol.
“There is scarcity of water but we have decided that water cut will not be introduced till the end of Ganesh Festival, which is till September 1,” he added.
If rainfall does not fill the dams to full capacity, then a water cut is inevitable, Mohol said. A review will be undertaken later on water management after the Ganesh Festival, as 6 TMC water is still available to meet the drinking water supply needs of the city, while the remaining has to be reserved for irrigation and industrial purposes, he said.
The PMC requires at least 15 TMC water per year with monthly consumption of 1.25 TMC. “The India Meterological Department has informed us that there will be light rain now, which will intensify after August 15. It said that there will be 104 per cent rainfall in the region,” Mohol said.