Indian Express 27.07.2010
Dams full, water cuts to end from tomorrow
Express News Service Tags : corporation, dam, water Posted: Tue Jul 27 2010, 04:03 hrs
With the live storage of the four dams going up, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Monday scrapped the alternate day water-cut decision. Now the city would get drinking water once a day from Wednesday as against twice a day before the cut was imposed on July 22.
State Irrigation Minister Ajit Pawar has directed the irrigation department officers to release water through canals to the city. The department released 250 cusecs water on Monday evening. Monday’s incessant rainfall has increased the live storage of the four dams to 6.5 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) taking the storage up to 20 per cent of their aggregate capacity.
Superintending engineer Pune irrigation circle Avinash Surve said the catchment areas are receiving good rainfall and the storage would last for four months. “The storage should touch 50 per cent for Pune to go without water cuts. However, the last four days rainfall has seen the dam levels rise on an average by about three per cent a day,” he said.
The dam levels were at 1.25 TMC and it has risen to 6.67 TMC, an increase of 5.42 TMC in four days in catchment areas.
“Residents of some parts of the city were complaining of irregular and insufficient water supply since the alternate day water supply arrangement was made. The civic administration despite making efforts was unable to ensure equitable supply across the city,” said V G Kulkarni, PMC Development Engineer (water works).
IMD director weather central Medha Khole said Pune city will see more rains in next two days. “The low pressure over the Bay has moved to Madhya Pradesh and the offshore trough extending from South Goa to Kerala adds to the intensity of the rainfall,” she said.
The PMC said areas that got water twice a day during normal condition will now get it once, in the evening, while those who got it once a day will get it in morning.
In the last five days, the civic administration got complaints about the private water tanker charging more. The administration had asked for details of such tankers so that they would not be allowed to draw water from the civic body pumping station. The city received 37 mm rain by 5.30 pm amd 39.6 mm by 8.30 pm.
