Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad may face a 10% monthly reduction in water supply from October 15 after the Water Resources Department instructed civic bodies and industrial areas to regulate consumption, although the Pune Municipal Corporation has not yet taken a final decision on implementation.
The instructions have been issued to plan the use of available water in view of a weak spell of rainfall and uncertainty over the coming monsoon. A meeting chaired by Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram is expected to decide the nature, implementation process and schedule of any water cut. Until that meeting, the civic administration has not officially confirmed whether residents will face reduced supply.
One option under discussion is shutting water supply for one day each week, but no official decision has been announced on that proposal. Additional Municipal Commissioner Prajit Nair said residents would have to plan their water use carefully if the reduction is implemented.
The Khadakwasla dam system currently holds 26.42 billion cubic feet, or 90.64% of its storage capacity, according to the report. The Water Resources Department is seeking to manage this stock with the objective of ensuring supplies until August 2027. The department has also cited uncertainty over future rainfall because of the possible influence of El Niño, meaning that the reservoirs may not refill adequately next year.
The proposed restriction would cover Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and industrial areas, including Chinchwad, Hinjewadi and Kurkumbh. The Khadakwasla Irrigation Division has sent a letter to the Pune Municipal Corporation containing instructions on implementing water-use controls. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has also been informed.
The instructions extend beyond household supply. Civic authorities have been asked to reduce leakage, control unauthorised water use and increase the use of treated wastewater for activities that do not require drinking-quality water. These include watering parks and road medians, construction activity and industrial processes. The measures are intended to preserve potable water for domestic and essential needs.
The immediate administrative challenge is to translate a reservoir-management directive into a citywide supply schedule. Pune’s water system serves households, commercial users, public spaces and industrial clusters through interconnected municipal and irrigation arrangements. Any reduction will therefore require decisions on distribution timing, area-wise supply, enforcement and communication with residents and businesses.
The timing of the proposed measure is also significant because the model under discussion would begin before the reservoir stock becomes critically low. The department is seeking to conserve the existing 90.64% storage level against uncertainty over the next replenishment cycle rather than wait for an emergency shortage. The final impact on households will depend on the municipal corporation’s decision on the quantum and pattern of reduction.
The civic administration’s meeting will determine whether the 10% reduction is implemented, whether weekly shutdowns form part of the schedule and how the instructions will apply across residential, commercial and industrial users. Until those decisions are recorded officially, Pune residents have not been placed under a confirmed water-cut schedule.
