Pune: Khadakwasla Dam 70 Percent Full, Irrigation Dept Issues Alert To Pune Metro & PMC

The state irrigation department has issued an alert to Pune Metro and Pune municipal corporation authorities of possible water release from the Khadakwasla dam as its stock reached 70% of its 1.97 TMC capacity on Wednesday.

“Khadakwasla is a smaller dam and its stock has already hit 1.4 TMC (70% of capacity). Its stock may climb to 90% or even 100% with two days of continued heavy rainfall. So, an alert has been issued to the Metro, civic and district authorities to avoid any mishaps or last-minute rush,” an official from the irrigation department said.

Officials said though the rainfall intensity in the catchment areas has reduced over the last two days, water inflow into the reservoirs still continues. The collective storage in the four dams in the Khadakwasla dam chain reached 11.5 TMC on Wednesday, with Panshet’s stock reaching near halfway mark, the official said. According to the department, the collective storage in Varasgaon and Temghar dams stood around 40% of their total capacities on Wednesday.

Pune Metro officials said all the heavy machinery deployed for ongoing works in the Deccan Gymkhana area would be moved in case of water release into the Mutha river from Khadakwasla. “We will move the machinery from the river bed. Our teams will work in coordination with the irrigation department and PMC,” a Metro official said.

Maha Metro is constructing two cable-stayed bridges connecting the Peth areas with Deccan Gymkhana and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Garden Metro stations. The construction of the foundation pillars for the bridges is underway near Pulachiwadi.

Civic officials said they have prepared a disaster management plan and PMC was in communication with the ward offices regarding the same. Ganesh Sonune of the PMC disaster management cell said the low-lying areas along Sinhagad Road, Bopodi and Shivne would be under watch. “The disaster management cell has been activated round-the-clock,” Sonune said.