Heavy Rain Lifts Pune Division Dam Storage to 51%, Drinking Water Remains Priority
Pune, 11th July 2026: The combined water storage in 35 major dams across Pune division has risen sharply from 11% on July 1 to 51% on July 10 following sustained rainfall over the past week, with the reservoirs receiving more than 170 TMC of inflows.
Despite the increase, the irrigation department has ruled out any immediate release of water from major reservoirs, saying the priority is to conserve stocks for drinking water needs.
Officials said the situation has improved significantly after a delayed monsoon left the reservoirs with just 55 TMC of water at the end of June. The 35 dams now collectively hold around 225 TMC of water. More than 25 reservoirs have crossed the 50% storage mark, while three are nearing full capacity.
“Storage has improved to 51%, but it remains below last year’s 70% for the same period. Rainfall in the catchment areas has reduced since Thursday, which is expected to lower inflows. We are monitoring the situation closely, and the next spell of rain is likely in the last week of July,” an irrigation department official said.
The Pune division comprises 35 major dams spread across five districts — 22 in Pune, seven in Satara, four in Kolhapur, and one each in Solapur and Sangli. Among the reservoirs recording substantial inflows are Koyna, Radhanagari, Dhom, Ujani and Veer.
The five dams supplying water to Pune city also continued to gain despite reduced rainfall. Their combined storage increased by 0.52 TMC over the previous day to reach 16.52 TMC on Friday evening.
