Pune, October 04, 2026: The city has already bid adieu to the monsoon on Saturday and now the residents of Pune have only the water stored in its reservoirs to rely upon for the next 8-9 months.

With below-normal monsoon across the state and the country, will the water stored in Pune’s reservoirs last till next monsoon or will the residents be left high and dry during peak summer months?

On carefully examining the statistics from the daily water storage report published by the Water Resources Department, Government of Maharashtra, we found the the collective live storage across six major reservoirs that supply water to PMC, PCMC and some parts of Hinjawadi IT Park stands at 1493.21 Mcum.

This roughly amounts to 93.95% of the designed live capacity. Last year on the same day, the numbers stood at 1588.05 Mcum and 99.92%.

The reservoirs we considered for this analysis are Khadakwasla, Panshet, Warasgaon, Temghar, Mulshi and Pawana.

Water Stock Situation for PMC

The first four dams, namely, Khadakwasla, Panshet, Warasgaon and Temghar form the Khadakwasla Dam Chain and are responsible for catering to the drinking water needs of the areas under the jurisdiction of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

This dam chain holds 767.78 Mcum, which is 92.99% of its designed live storage. These figures last year were 824.32 Mcum, 99.84%.

Water Stock Situation for PCMC

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) draws its water from Pawana Dam. This dam currently holds 240.97 Mcum, which is 100% of its designed live storage. Last year also as on today, this reservoir held 100% water stock.

Water Stock Situation in Hinjawadi IT Park

Many areas of the Hinjawadi IT Park, especially major townships like Blueridge, located on the banks of Mula River are dependent on the water stored in Mulshi dam. This reservoir as on today holds 484.46 Mcum, which is 92.67% of its designed live storage capacity. Last year, this day, this dam was 100% full.

Conclusion

While PCMC residents have no reason to worry as the reservoir supplying water to the corporation is at full capacity, just like last year. Though there will be challenges due to ever increasing demand for drinking water but the monsoon cannot be held responsible.

The main cause for concern will be for PMC residents as their sources of water are already at 93% storage, right on the first day after the monsoon. If water is not used judiciously, they may have to face water cuts and rationing during peak summer months.

Mulshi dam though at 92.67% storage, does not pose any major challenge as the residents of Hinjawadi IT Park only use a fraction of its water. The dam is large and mainly used by Tata Power for electricity generation and even the residual water discharged into the Mula river after cycling it through power turbines is sufficient for the drinking water needs of the citizens dependent on this reservoir.

So, the overall situation, as on today is not alarming but can quickly spin out of control if water is not used carefully this year. This assumes even more importance because climate change and erratic weather patterns are interfering with monsoon cycles, making them far less predictable and reliable.