Nagpur: With reservoir levels continuing to shrink, civic officials are likely to consider reintroducing alternate-day water supply, a measure last enforced during the 2019 water crisis. Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is set to review the city’s fast-depleting water reserves next week. The review gains urgency amid the state govt’s directive to reserve water for drinking purposes.Nagpur last experienced alternate-day supply in July 2019 when the civic body was forced to draw water from the dead storage of reservoirs to tide over an acute scarcity. With reservoir levels now under pressure again and Maharashtra water resources department directing civic bodies to ensure drinking water availability till August 31, 2027, NMC is evaluating conservation measures well in advance to avoid a repeat of the 2019 crisis.“The warning comes even before peak summer. Water stock in the reservoirs supplying Nagpur is currently at around 58%. With day temperatures already resembling March’s hot conditions, officials fear rising temperatures and evaporation could further shrink the available stock in the coming months,” an NMC official said.NMC is currently supplying around 770 MLD of water, only slightly below the nearly 780 MLD supplied during peak summer. Water Works Committee chairperson Divya Dhurde said the present situation warranted early planning.“The stock at five water reservoirs in Nagpur district is 70.45% compared to last year’s 85.71%. Considering the evaporation factor, the current water stock would further reduce,” Dhurde told TOI. The water resources department estimates around 121 MCM of the available stock in reservoirs in Nagpur district will be lost to evaporation.Water Works Committee vice-chairperson Vijay Zalke has already suggested that the civic body should begin alternate-day supply from Jan 1, 2027, rather than wait until the crisis becomes acute.Zalke, who was chairperson of Water Works Committee between 2017 and 2019, cited the summer of 2019, when NMC was forced to supply water on alternate days for about a month. “If we consider the present situation, NMC should start an alternate-day water supply from Jan 1 so that water can be saved for the harsh summer,” Zalke said.He also demanded immediate restrictions on water-intensive activities, including new construction, saying available potable water should be prioritised for drinking purposes. Zalke further called for curbing industrial use of potable water. “We will have to take aggressive steps to reduce the use of potable water and control illegal connections and tapping on the feeder main,” he said.Concerns have also been raised over extremely low flow of Kanhan river. The situation has added to concerns over the sustainability of Nagpur’s water supply ahead of summer.
