Pune Water Crisis Alert: PMC Considers Cuts as IMD Predicts Weak Monsoon
Pune, 19th April 2026: With forecasts indicating a below-normal monsoon this year, the Irrigation Department has advised the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to plan for water cuts, prompting the civic administration to place three options before Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram.
According to officials, the India Meteorological Department has predicted lower-than-average rainfall due to the impact of El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). In view of this, the irrigation authorities have planned to conserve water in the Khadakwasla dam chain, which supplies water to Pune, until August 1. The PMC has also been advised to implement a monthly water reduction of 15 percent.
Based on this, the civic administration has submitted a detailed report to the commissioner outlining the current water situation and possible scenarios under different levels of water cuts. The three options include avoiding water cuts, implementing a weekly one-day water shutdown, or supplying water on alternate days.
At present, Pune draws approximately 1,622.5 million litres per day (MLD) of water. A 15 percent reduction would mean cutting about 253.87 MLD from the current supply. However, officials have cautioned that due to the city’s uneven topography and incomplete infrastructure works, a uniform reduction in supply could severely impact elevated areas and locations far from storage tanks, leading to inadequate or no water supply in some parts. Hence, avoiding cuts is considered challenging but preferable.
The second option involves shutting water supply once a week. Officials noted that while this could result in an estimated 10 percent saving, restoring normal supply after a shutdown requires additional water to stabilise pressure and refill pipelines. This often leads to disruption for two to three days, causing confusion and complaints among residents.
The third option proposes supplying water on alternate days. Though this method may lead to a higher reduction of up to 25 percent, it allows better pressure management and relatively fewer complaints, as adequate water is supplied on distribution days. Civic officials also pointed out that this model has been implemented in the city in the past.
The final decision now rests with the municipal commissioner, and residents across Pune are closely watching the outcome, as it will directly impact daily water supply in the coming months.
