Pune: After two days of continuous rainfall, the catchment areas of Pune's Khadakwasla dam cluster experienced a break in the rain on Saturday (September 7), leading to a reduction in the water discharge into the Mutha River.
The steady rains in the region had earlier prompted the release of water from the Khadakwasla dam to manage the increasing reservoir levels.
On Saturday (September 7) morning, the water discharge rate from the Khadakwasla dam was measured at 8,734 cusecs (cubic feet per second), which was gradually reduced to 4,323 cusecs by 5 PM as rainfall receded.
According to the Pune District Irrigation Department, the combined water storage of the Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon, and Temghar dams reached 28.73 TMC (thousand million cubic feet), which is 99% of their total capacity. This marks an increase from the same period last year, when the storage stood at 27.23 TMC, or 93% of capacity.
The current monsoon season has been highly productive for Pune's water reserves. As of now, 29.55 TMC of water has been released into the Mutha River from the four dams, a volume equivalent to the entire capacity of the reservoirs. This high rainfall in July and August has effectively filled the dams twice over this season.
On Saturday, only minimal rainfall was recorded in the dam catchment areas, with Khadakwasla, Panshet, and Varasgaon receiving scant rainfall, while the Temghar catchment recorded just 2 mm of rain.
The consistent rainfall over the past few days had necessitated the release of water from the Khadakwasla dam to prevent overflow.
With the pause in rain, officials have temporarily reduced the outflow of water. However, further releases may be expected if rains resume, as forecasts indicate a potential return of monsoon activity in the coming days. Authorities continue to monitor the situation to ensure proper water management and prevent flooding risks downstream.
