Only Two Months of Water Left for Pune: PMC Explores Artificial Rain to Tackle Crisis
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 29th June 2026: With June drawing to a close and the monsoon yet to make a significant impact, Pune is facing an increasingly severe water crisis. Against this backdrop, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has begun exploring the possibility of artificial rain (cloud seeding) as a potential measure to augment water availability in the city’s reservoirs.
The proposal was discussed in detail during an all-party meeting of PMC group leaders held on Monday. Following the discussion, the Municipal Commissioner was directed to immediately gather technical information and submit a comprehensive feasibility report on the use of artificial rain to address the city’s growing water shortage.
According to civic officials, the four dams supplying water to Pune currently hold only 3.60 TMC of water—enough to meet the city’s drinking water needs for approximately two months if rainfall does not improve.
As of 6 pm today, the total contents of the four dams (Panshet, Varasgaon, Temghar, and Khadakwasla) were 3.63 TMC (12.45%).
Last year, it was 14.04 TMC (48.17%) on the same date.
The delayed onset of the monsoon has resulted in poor inflows into the dam catchment areas, prompting the PMC to impose alternate-day water supply across the city over the past fortnight. Despite the water rationing measures, reservoir levels have continued to decline, raising concerns among both the administration and elected representatives.
During Monday’s meeting, members deliberated on whether cloud seeding could be undertaken on a pilot basis to induce rainfall over the dam catchment areas. The Municipal Commissioner has been asked to examine several aspects before any decision is taken.
The report will include details on previous cloud seeding experiments conducted in Maharashtra and other parts of the country, their success rates, the reputed agencies capable of carrying out such operations, the estimated cost involved, and whether artificial rain over the dam catchment areas could meaningfully improve Pune’s water availability.
The administration will take a decision on the proposal after reviewing the Commissioner’s report. The findings are expected to determine whether the city pursues cloud seeding as an emergency measure or continues to depend on natural rainfall to replenish its reservoirs.
