General view of Panshet Dam
To oppose the demand, BJP leaders in the civic body approached chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last week, seeking assurance that 13 TMC of water would be reserved for the city until the next monsoon. PMC standing committee chairperson Shrinath Bhimale, who led the delegation to meet the chief minister, said Khadakwasla had already supplied over 5 TMC of water to rural areas during the ongoing month-long release rotation. The dams had reached 100% of their storage capacity during the monsoon, and the city should not face further curtailment in water supply,” he said. “Around 21 TMC of water will be available in the dams around Nov 15. Of this, 13 TMC should be allocated to the PMC, leaving 8 TMC. Around 3 TMC will be lost to evaporation and seepage, while some water will have to be retained as buffer stock. At least 5 TMC of water should remain in the dams,” another BJP leader said.
They said water would be released for rural areas, but the schedule would be decided later.
However, the second rotation is uncertain this year, sources in the department said. The civic administration has said it will review the ongoing weekly water cuts after Diwali. Sources in the PMC said the irrigation department’s demand was unacceptable as it could cause a major water crisis across the city.
With lower water storage this year, the next water release rotation for rural areas remains uncertain. The irrigation department generally releases water for agriculture in two rotations during the winter season. The ongoing release will be stopped completely by the weekend. The leaders maintained that state govt had given top priority to meeting drinking water requirements and that the irrigation department could not insist on releasing more water for rural areas at the cost of the city’s supply. “This has helped replenish ponds and lakes in the region.