Hinjawadi Drinking Water Problems to End Soon? PMRDA Demands 1.2 TMC Allocation From Mulshi Dam
Pune News, June 28, 2026: Hinjawadi IT Hub’s persistent drinking water problems may finally see an end as Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (PMRDA) has made a demand for its own quota of drinking water from Mulshi dam.
The PMRDA has officially submitted a formal proposal to the Water Resources Department (Irrigation Department) requesting a dedicated allocation of 1.2 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic feet) of drinking water from the Mulshi Dam.
The allocation is specifically aimed at permanently resolving the critical drinking water shortage faced by the sprawling Hinjawadi IT park (Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park) and its fast-growing surrounding urban clusters.
The Mulshi Dam (historically used for Tata Power’s hydroelectricity generation) has roughly 7 TMC of water that normally flows eastward or is lost as runoff/evaporation. The state government previously gave “in-principle” approval to divert this 7 TMC for domestic/drinking use for the Pune region.
Breakup of Water Allocation Demands
To execute a Detailed Project Report (DPR), the Water Resources Department needed specific demands from regional authorities.
- Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has already requested 5 TMC.
- PMRDA has now officially locked in its request for 1.2 TMC.
- Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC)‘s formal allocation request for the remaining share is awaited to complete the macro-distribution formula.
The Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) is heading the water supply scheme. A massive ₹565 crore scheme has already been drawn up by the MJP to lay pipelines and infrastructure to bring water to Hinjawadi.
Bottleneck Cleared
The state has already sanctioned the first installment of ₹100 crore for the project, and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has provided the required land. However, the physical work was stalled because the official “water quota” had not been legally allocated to PMRDA. This new proposal clears that administrative logjam.
Historical Background
Securing water from the Mulshi Dam has been a long-standing demand for Pune. This recent momentum is driven by instructions from the state leadership, who directed the local bodies and Water Resources Department to finalize allocation quotas.
To ensure there is no shortage for industrial power generation or agricultural sectors downstream, there is a parallel administrative proposal being evaluated by a technical committee to increase the height of the Mulshi Dam by 1 meter to create additional storage capacity.
Permanent Relief for IT Hub
Hinjawadi has long suffered from acute water scarcity, relying heavily on expensive, private water tankers. This 1.2 TMC allocation aims to provide a sustainable, piped drinking water supply to lakhs of IT professionals and residents.
De-congesting Existing Systems
Currently, Pune relies overwhelmingly on the Khadakwasla dam system (Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon, Temghar) and Bhama Askhed. Tapping into Mulshi will tremendously reduce the burden on these over-stretched reservoirs, freeing up resources for other parts of the metropolitan region.
