Pune Urged To Conserve Water As Khadakwasla Reservoir Holds 5.61 TMC Less Water Than Last Year
Pune Urged To Conserve Water As Khadakwasla Reservoir Holds 5.61 TMC Less Water Than Last Year
Pune, July 20, 2026: Residents of Pune have been urged to use water judiciously as the Khadakwasla dam system, the city’s primary source of drinking water, currently holds significantly less water than it did at the same time last year.
The Khadakwasla reservoir chain presently has 17.26 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water, accounting for nearly 60% of its total storage capacity. However, this is 5.61 TMC lower than the 22.87 TMC (79%) recorded during the corresponding period last year, raising concerns over water management for the months ahead.
Officials said careful planning will be essential to meet Pune’s drinking water requirements while accounting for summer evaporation losses and irrigation needs. The situation became challenging after the region received almost no rainfall in June.
Rainfall during the second week of July improved the situation, with nearly eight consecutive days of showers leading to a significant rise in reservoir levels across all four dams in the Khadakwasla project. The combined storage capacity of the project is around 29 TMC, and the reservoirs typically reach full capacity by the end of July or the first week of August.
However, the monsoon has weakened over the past two weeks, reducing inflows into the reservoirs.
According to the latest figures, the water levels in the four dams are:
- Khadakwasla Dam:Â 70% full
- Panshet Dam:Â 64% full
- Varasgaon Dam:Â 58% full
- Temghar Dam:Â 41.70% full
Water Released Through Canal for Pilgrimage and Irrigation
The Water Resources Department is currently releasing 1,000 cusecs of water from Khadakwasla Dam through the canal system to support the annual Wari pilgrimage as well as irrigation requirements.
With the palkhi procession now entering Solapur district, officials are expected to decide on Monday, July 20, whether to stop or reduce the canal water release.
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