Nashik Municipal Corporation has asked the district administration to exempt the city from Maharashtra’s proposed 10% water cut and approve a revised allocation of 8,280 million cubic feet for 2027, citing drought conditions, expected migration and the Simhastha Kumbh Mela.
The civic body has submitted a fresh water-reservation proposal after the Water Resources Department reduced its earlier demand by about 1,300 million cubic feet on population-based criteria. The corporation has argued that Nashik will require additional water because people may migrate to the city from rural parts of Maharashtra facing drought-like conditions, while pilgrims are expected to arrive throughout the year for the Kumbh Mela.
The revised demand comprises 7,645 million cubic feet for Nashik city and 635 million cubic feet for the Kumbh Mela. The civic body has described the combined requirement as justified in its proposal to the district administration.
Under the allocation recently approved for the city, 6,317 million cubic feet has been earmarked for Nashik, including evaporation losses, while a separate 635 million cubic feet has been approved for the Kumbh Mela. This brings the approved total to 6,952 million cubic feet. The allocation is based on criteria set by the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority.
Nashik receives its municipal water supply from the Gangapur dam group, Darna and Mukne dams. Because the approved allocation was lower than the corporation’s revised requirement, a 10% reduction in water supply after Diwali had been expected to become necessary. The corporation has now challenged the decision taken during a meeting on emergency and incidental water reservations and sought a fresh assessment.
According to the reported proposal, the currently approved allocation provides 6,892 million cubic feet for 290 days, from 15 October to 31 July 2027, on a proportionate basis. The civic body has said the reassessment should account for possible migration caused by drought and the continuing arrival of devotees linked to the Simhastha event.
The demand places Nashik’s municipal water planning between two competing requirements: conserving supplies during a period of reduced availability and maintaining adequate provision for a city expected to face additional temporary and permanent population pressure. The immediate decision rests with the district administration and the Water Resources Department, which will have to consider the corporation’s fresh reservation proposal against the existing allocation and the state’s proposed water-cut directions.
