Pune will not face any additional water cuts for now, with Mayor Manjusha Nagpure directing officials to maintain the existing 10% curtailment until a canal committee meeting decides the city’s water allocation. The decision comes as the irrigation department seeks a 20% reduction in supply amid drought conditions and a shortfall of nearly 5 TMC in Pune’s approved allocation.
Nagpure postponed a meeting convened to discuss the proposed additional cut and said no hasty decision would be taken before the canal committee meets on Monday. The committee, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, is scheduled to decide water allocations for Pune city and rural areas.
The Pune Municipal Corporation has sought 21 TMC of water, citing the city’s requirements. The irrigation department, however, has approved 11.33 TMC for Pune, compared with the 16 TMC supplied last year. The difference between last year’s supply and the current approved allocation is nearly 5 TMC.
The immediate effect of the mayor’s direction is that the existing 10% curtailment will continue, while a further reduction has been deferred. The extent of any additional curtailment will be decided after the canal committee considers the competing requirements of Pune city and rural areas.
The water resources department has proposed a 20% cut and is reportedly willing to reserve 15 TMC for drinking water requirements over the next 10 months. The proposal places the city’s municipal demand within a wider allocation process involving drinking water needs, irrigation requirements and drought-related constraints.
For residents, the decision temporarily avoids a deeper reduction in municipal supply, but it does not resolve the underlying allocation gap. Pune’s civic administration has requested nearly twice the volume approved by the irrigation department, while the city continues to operate with a 10% curtailment already in place.
The canal committee meeting will determine whether Pune’s allocation is revised and whether the proposed additional water cut is implemented. Until that decision, the Pune Municipal Corporation will maintain the existing 10% reduction in water supply.
