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PMC to hold meeting today to decide on water cuts
The month of June is coming to an end and despite the forecast, the city has not witnessed rains
The month of June is coming to an end and despite the forecast, the city has not witnessed rains. In this background officials of the water department of Pune Municipal Corporation(PMC) and civic chief Vikram Kumar will hold a meeting today (on Tuesday) and decide on water cuts in the city.
As of June 27, the water stock in the four dams – Kahdakwasla, Panshet, Warasgaon and Temghar is 2.76 thousand million cubic feet (TMC). Last year on the same day water level in all the four dams was 8.42 TMC.
On Monday, the PMC water department officials met Anupam Kashyapi, head of the weather forecasting department, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune to discuss the rainfall forecast for the season.
“During the meeting with the PMC officials, we explained to them the pattern in which monsoon is progressing. This time though there is progress on monsoon it is not a classical one. It is limited and, in some parts, it is weak and, in some pockets, it is strong monsoon,” said Kashyapi.
“In north east monsoon is rigorous in Konkan monsoon moderate but in Central Maharashtra rain is not that much and that’s why there are no rains in Pune and there is a huge deficit,” added Kashyapi.
“As the arrival of monsoon is delayed so withdrawal is also expected after October 10. So, we have explained to them (PMC) that rain can happen at any time but since any system is not forming in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, rainfall is scanty in Pune. In our report we have mentioned that the current spell of rain is not as expected,” added Kashyapi.
In the last five years city had witnessed heavy pre-monsoon rain in May, however, in 2022, the city did not receive rain and in June as well the city has only reported 33.7mm of rainfall. According to the IMD, there is a rainfall deficiency of 89.6 mm.
The city requires 1.5 TMC of water from Khadakwasla every month. As per the current water supply routine, the water supply is sufficient for one and half months.
Aniruddha Pawaskar, head of water department PMC, said,” We have not planned any water cuts as of now.”
“The rainfall in the catchment area around Pune and Mumbai has been less till now,” added KS Hosalikar, head, IMD Pune.
