Pune: After Khadakwasla, Panshet dam is filled to its capacity and the water resources department has started releasing 2407 cusecs of water from the dam from Tuesday (August 18) morning. The Khadakwasla dam cluster - including Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar dams - now has 90 per cent of cumulative water storage.
Since water is being released from Panshet dam, the discharge from downstream Khadakwasla dam has been increased to 9383 cusecs. This water is being released into the Mutha river which flows through Pune city.
Varasgaon dam is also expected to fill up in the next few days. Khadakwasla dam cluster catchment areas are expected to receive incessant rainfall in the next 48 hours.
Water resources department has been releasing more than 9000 cusecs of water into the Mutha river basin from Khadakwasla dam since Saturday (August 15) night. The cumulative water storage in all four dams – Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar – was just 58 per cent on August 8. As rainfall activity increased in the last eight to 10 days, the storage has now reached at 89.87 per cent on August 18.
Thus anticipating more water inflow due to heavy rains, the Khadakwasla dam water storage has been brought down to 1.90 TMC which is 96.17 per cent of its total capacity. Khadakwasla dam was filled completely on Wednesday (August 12). Since then water is being released from it into the Mutha river basin which further flows into the Ujani dam. So far, more than 2 TMC of water has been released from Khadakwasla dam that has reached Ujani dam in Solapur district.
The water discharge into Mutha river will depend on the rainfall in catchment areas of all dams. If rainfall increases the water discharge rate will increase. Hence, PMC and disaster management authorities have appealed to citizens to stay away from the river bed road and Baba Bhide bridge area. Authorities have also asked citizens to not park their vehicles especially cars at the river bed road as they may get damaged.
