After nearly 4 TMC water added in 24 hrs, dam storage crosses 75%
Citizens claim the water level has never been so high despite the release of dam water at the rate of 35,000 cusecs having become a regular feature every monsoon
PUNE: Continuous heavy rainfall in the catchment areas since the past five days has led to a significant rise in the stock of dams that supply water to Pune. Till 5.30 pm on Thursday, cumulative water storage in the Khadakwasla, Panshet, Warasgaon and Temghar dams was 75.57% (22 TMC) which is likely to further increase considering the downpour, even as authorities have begun discharging water from Khadakwasla. Earlier till 5.30 pm on Wednesday, the cumulative stock in the four dams was 63.56% (18.53 TMC) according to updates shared by the water resources department.
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said, “There is heavy rain being reported in the catchment areas of all dams. As a result, water stock in these dams has substantially gone up, forcing authorities to release water at a higher rate.”
As the Khadakwasla Dam crossed the 100% mark on Wednesday, the irrigation department started releasing water from the dam from Thursday morning. In the last 48 hours, the irrigation department has released at least 1 TMC water from the Khadakwasla Dam. Water has also been released from the Mulshi Dam.
The irrigation department released 11,556 cusecs of water from the Khadakwasla Dam at midnight on Wednesday, July 24. At 1 am on July 25, 16,247 cusecs water was released from the dam which rose to 20,691 cusecs at 2 am. The discharge further increased to 27,203 cusecs at 4 am and 35,574 cusecs at 6 am. By 7 am, the water level was recorded as 1.96 TMC which is the full capacity of the dam. Till 8 am, the department had released a total 1.03 TMC water from the Khadakwasla Dam. By 10.30 am, the discharge was reduced to 15,000 cusecs water only to be again increased to 35,574 cusecs between 4 pm and 6 pm on July 25. Following DCM Ajit Pawar’s instructions, the discharge was further increased to 40,000 cusecs between 6 pm and 8 pm.
Apart from Khadakwasla, water was also released from the Mulshi Dam into the Pawana River. The dam recorded 69.75% of its full capacity Thursday morning and considering the rainfall and inflow, water began to be discharged Thursday morning. The department had released 5,000 to 7,500 cusecs water by 5.30 pm on July 25.
The Warasgaon Dam, which is the largest among the four dams of the Khadakwasla Dam Cluster, experienced a significant increase in water levels, taking its stock to 69.49% (8.91 TMC). The Panshet Dam too crossed 80% as inflow increased in the past 24 hours. Till 5 pm on July 25, Panshet Dam had recorded 81.62% (8.69 TMC) water storage.
Meanwhile, water levels also increased in Bhama Askhed and Pawana as catchment areas received extremely heavy rain on July 24. According to the water resources department data, the Bhama Askhed and Pawana Dams reported 49.46% and 56.68% water storage, respectively.
The catchment areas of dams are receiving heavy rainfall while the surrounding ghat areas are receiving extreme category rainfall for the last 48 hours. This has led to the increase in water levels. “We are keeping an eye on the situation and water will be discharged after analysing ground conditions,” said Shweta Kurde, executive engineer, Khadakwasla Dam Cluster.