With Dam Stocks Under Pressure, Pune Collector Directs Tight Monitoring of Water Use
Pune, 18th June 2026: District collector Jitendra Dudi on Thursday directed all departments to strictly manage the available water stock in the Khadakwasla dam system and Pavana dam to ensure that no drinking water shortage arises in the district.
Chairing a review meeting on rainfall, reservoir levels and water usage at the collectorate, Dudi said the Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar dam group currently has 4.13 TMC of usable water, while Pavana dam has 1.65 TMC available.
The collector instructed civic bodies, government agencies and other water users to rework water-use plans in view of the available storage and projected demand. He said water availability for Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad must be ensured till August 31, with the two cities expected to require around 4 TMC and 1.5 TMC of drinking water, respectively.
Dudi directed the revenue, police and water resources departments to conduct joint inspections to prevent unauthorised water extraction from reservoirs, canals, rivers and other water sources. He also asked all departments to submit weekly reports on water storage, rainfall, inflow and consumption to the district administration.
Considering the seriousness of the situation, the collector instructed the water resources department to adopt a conservation-oriented reservoir operation policy and take preventive measures wherever required. He also said the district administration must be informed before any water release from dams after fresh inflows from rainfall.
The meeting reviewed measures to ensure drinking water availability till August 31, protect reserved drinking water stocks, curb illegal water lifting and prioritise potable water supply over other uses.
Officials were also directed to take strict action under provisions of the Disaster Management Act against unauthorised pumps, pipelines and other equipment used for illegal water extraction.
Praveen Kolhe, superintendent engineer of the Pune irrigation circle, said the Pune division currently has a usable water stock of 77 TMC, or 14.3% of capacity, compared to 169.9 TMC (31.16%) during the corresponding period last year, reflecting a deficit of around 90.9 TMC.
