Pune: All major dams in the Bhima basin, including the six dams that supply water to Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, have stopped water discharge into the rivers over the past few days following a drastic drop in rainfall. None of the dams recorded rainfall in the 24 hours ending Thursday morning. The scanty rain has not only reduced inflows into the reservoirs but has also led to a slight drop in the collective storage of the Khadakwasla circle from its full capacity.On Thursday, the collective storage in the four dams — Khadakwasla, Panshet, Temghar and Varasgaon — stood at 29.07 TMC against the maximum capacity of 29.15 TMC.Officials from the irrigation department said the storage drop was mainly due to the continuous release of water for the city and rural areas. While Pune draws water from Khadakwasla dam through a pipeline, water for rural areas is released through the Mutha canal.“Water is currently being released into the canal at a rate of 1,000 cusecs. There is a plan to stop the canal release in the next couple of weeks if scanty rainfall continues in the dam catchment areas,” an irrigation department official said.“There is no immediate plan to stop the release of water into the canal. If rainfall returns to the dam catchment areas, the department will continue the release. The weather department has predicted rain spells after Sept 15. We will assess the intensity of rainfall at the dam sites before deciding on the further course of action,” he added.Sources in the irrigation department said the monsoon is likely to enter its final stages in the next few days.Sept rainfall will be crucial for all major dams supplying water to Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, as it will help maintain storage levels close to full capacity.The irrigation department has directed teams to monitor water levels daily. The department considers dam storage levels recorded around mid-Oct while deciding water allocations for rural and urban areas.
