Pune’s Khadakwasla Dam Faces Water Crisis: Municipal Commissioner Calls for Action

Pune: As temperatures rise during the summer, the decreasing water levels in dams are becoming a pressing concern. This issue is particularly acute at the Khadakwasla Dam in Pune, where water levels have significantly declined in recent days. Recognising the severity of the situation, Pune Municipal Commissioner Rajendra Bhosale convened a meeting with officials and directed them to devise a strategy for water distribution from this dam.

Apart from this, Bhosale has also given strict instructions regarding the complete ban on using drinking water for construction purposes. He instructed that under no circumstances should drinking water be used for construction, including the metro project. Furthermore, he also issued a warning to non compliers against deviating from this order. “The non-compliance with the above order will result in the complete stoppage of the construction project,” Bhosale said.

“We are planning to conduct a survey in the next two to three days to see who is using drinking water in violation of all norms, and whoever is found guilty of it will receive a notice and a fine will be imposed on them,” Bhosale added.

However, this decision has drawn the ire of building constructors in the city, as they are opposing the use of water from the sewage treatment plant for construction purposes. Speaking on it, Bhosale advised the constructors to use water from borewells or sewage treatment plants for construction purposes.

At this time, Bhosale also held a meeting on water planning for newly included villages to PMC.

Currently, six divisions in the state collectively hold 36.71 percent of water storage, totalling 14,862 ten lakh cubic meters. Of these, Nashik division accounts for 37.54% of water storage, Pune division has 35.30% across its 720 dams, Nagpur division boasts 48.24%, and Amravati division maintains 48.62% water retention. However, Marathwada’s Aurangabad division trails behind with a mere 18.90% water storage across 920 dams.