The Times of India                20.05.2013

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation seeks its share of Pavana water

PUNE: Amidst indications that water from Pavana dam may be released into Ujani dam for the parched Solapur district, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) wants to ensure that it does not suffer any shortage till the monsoon arrives.

Municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi said, "We have written to the irrigation department to reserve water in Pavana dam for meeting the drinking water needs of Pimpri Chinchwad city up to July 31. It should decide what to do with the remaining water in the dam."

Last week, the civic body had received an e-mail from the state government seeking its opinion on the demand of the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) to release water for Ujani. The e-mail sent by the state government said that the Bombay high court in its order on April 24, 2013, over a PIL had directed that litigants or any person could submit their opinion about the water supply to Solapur district within three weeks.

A civic official said that Pavana dam has 3 thousand million cubic (TMC) water left. The civic body will require 2.37 TMC water to meet drinking water needs till July 31.

The irrigation department releases water from Pavana to cater to the needs of downstream villages, towns and cities. It releases 430 million litres per day (MLD) for PCMC, 100 MLD for the Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation (MIDC) and 30 MLD for Wagholi rural water supply scheme. The towns of Talegaon and Dehu Road too get their drinking water from here.