Pune: Varasgaon more than 98% full; discharge starts from Panshet

PUNE: Water stock in Varasgaon, the largest among the four reservoirs in the Khadakwasla irrigation circle, stood at 98% of its capacity on Monday.
State irrigation department officials said that they will initiate water release from the dam once the reservoir is filled, which is likely in the next couple of days.

The department on Monday resumed release of water from Panshet to accommodate rainwater flowing into the reservoir following good spells of rain in its catchment areas. Water was released at the rate of 902 cusec and flowing into Khadakwasla, where the stock was reduced to 74% to make space for the inflow from Panshet.
“We are monitoring water levels in all the reservoirs. There has been a steady rise in the levels. The catchments received good spells of rain in the past couple of days. Varasgaon’s stock is inching towards full capacity. The released water would go in Khadakwasla. However, we are still to release water from the dam. Water stock in Khadakwasla has been brought down to avoid sudden discharge of water into the Mutha, which can lead to flooding in low-lying areas,” an official said.
Stock in Varasgaon stood at 12.63 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) on Monday evening, while the collective stock in all four reservoirs reached 28 TMC (96%).
The irrigation department has already released over 5 TMC of water from Khadakwasla into the Mutha during the heavy spells of rain in July. More discharge of water is expected as water storage nears the maximum capacities.