Pune may face a 10% monthly water reduction from October 15 after the Water Resources Department instructed Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and nearby industrial areas to regulate consumption because of uncertainty over future rainfall and the need to conserve available dam storage. The Pune Municipal Corporation has not yet taken a final decision on implementation.
A meeting chaired by Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram is scheduled for Monday, when the civic body is expected to decide whether the instructions will be implemented and what form the reduction will take. With the model code of conduct in force, the decision is likely to be taken at the administrative level rather than through a political process.
One option under discussion is keeping water supply shut for one day each week, although no official decision has been announced on that proposal. The timing and duration of any interruption, if approved, are expected to be determined at the meeting.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Prajit Nair said residents would have to plan their water use carefully if a reduction is introduced. The warning comes as the Khadakwasla dam system 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 consumption with the aim of preserving the available stock until August 2027.
The department’s position is also linked to uncertainty over the next monsoon. The report cites the possible influence of El Niño as a factor that could make rainfall projections less certain, leaving no assurance that reservoirs will refill adequately next year. The proposed restrictions are therefore intended to extend the use of the existing storage rather than respond to an immediate depletion of the dam system.
The Khadakwasla Irrigation Department has written to the Pune Municipal Corporation with instructions covering the proposed reduction. It has also informed the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and industrial areas including Chinchwad, Hinjewadi and Kurkumbh.
The instructions extend beyond household consumption. Civic authorities have been asked to reduce leakage, act against unauthorised water use and increase the use of treated wastewater for non-potable purposes. Parks, road medians, construction sites and industrial processes have been identified as areas where treated water could replace fresh water and help conserve drinking-water supplies.
The Pune Municipal Corporation’s Monday meeting will determine the nature, implementation process and schedule of any water reduction. Until that decision is taken, the proposed 10% monthly cut and the weekly supply-shutdown option remain under consideration rather than confirmed measures.
