Demand for water tankers is already soaring in areas like Bavdhan and Pashan
“It looks like Pune city will get 13 TMC of water from existing stock in dams. Agriculture minister Bharne on Thursday said state govt has announced drought in 304 talukas of Maharashtra, and around 97% of panchanamas pertaining to crop losses have been completed so far. Bharne also said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has already announced assistance of Rs5,000 to farmers. Instructions have been issued to maintain stock in dams to meet drinking water requirements till Aug 2027,” he said.
Following the meeting, Vikhe Patil told TOI that a detailed review of water storage was discussed. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will have to prepare a detailed plan on utilisation of this allocated water,” he said. Pune’s guardian minister and deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar chaired the meeting, attended by MLAs and MPs from city and rural areas, besides state water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and state agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne. A detailed report on damage based on these panchanamas and surveys is expected soon. “State govt, with assistance from Centre, is taking all necessary steps to handle drought and water scarcity and provide support to farmers.
At present, residents under PMC limits are already facing weekly water closure to the tune of 13% cut in supply. Sources said PMC is currently utilising around 1.5 TMC of water from Khadakwasla every month. Now, considering the 13 TMC water quota for 10 months, the civic administration will have to manage monthly utilisation at below 1.5 TMC. During the meeting, the state irrigation department said that the dams had 24 TMC of water stock as of Thursday. Ongoing release for winter crops is expected to be halted around Nov 15. All necessary measures will have to be taken in both zones to handle the storage, she said, adding that a fresh review of the stock and requirements will be held again in Jan 2027.
City mayor Manjusha Nagpure, who also attended the meeting, said that a decision on additional water cuts for the city will be taken in the next couple of days. The discussions will be held now with the civic administration on how to manage supply,” she said. “Some fresh restrictions on utilisation of water will have to be imposed. We were waiting for the canal committee meeting. Water is flowing out for both city and rural areas at the moment. Pawar also asked PMC and the irrigation department to strike a balance in supplying water to urban and rural pockets till the next monsoon.