PCMC Water Crisis: Maharashtra Govt Urges Residents To Use Water Only For Drinking Till August 31

Pimpri-Chinchwad: With the Pawana Dam's water storage continuing to decline, the Maharashtra Water Resources Department has issued a public notice urging citizens, farmers, commercial establishments and property owners to use water only for essential drinking purposes until 31st August.

The notice, issued by the Khadakwasla Irrigation Division's Pawana Dam Section, comes amid concerns over a possible water shortage due to El Niño conditions and the delayed southwest monsoon. The department said drinking water has been given the highest priority and appealed to people to avoid wastage.

Department’s Directions…

The department has directed that all irrigation water lifting remain suspended in accordance with a government order issued on 13th June. It also warned that any unauthorised lifting of water from the dam, rivers, canals, lakes or other water sources will invite strict legal action under the Government Resolution dated 12th December 2018.

The advisory comes as Pimpri-Chinchwad and Maval face one of their most severe pre-monsoon water shortages in recent years. The delayed arrival of the monsoon, below-normal rainfall and falling storage in the Pawana reservoir have forced authorities to tighten water conservation measures.

What’s The Current Scenario?

Pawana Dam, the main source of drinking water for Pimpri-Chinchwad, currently has around 19% live storage, lower than the nearly 24% recorded during the same period last year. The civic body has already imposed an additional 15% water cut from June 20, over and above the alternate-day water supply system that has been in place since 2019.

PCMC currently receives around 650 million litres per day (MLD) from Pawana Dam, Andra Dam and MIDC, while the city's daily demand exceeds 750 MLD. The shortfall has led to shorter supply hours, low water pressure and increased dependence on private water tankers in several areas.

PCMC’s Decision…

To conserve water, the civic body has banned the use of potable water for swimming pools and vehicle washing, stopped issuing new water connections, directed housing societies to use treated sewage water for gardens and asked commercial establishments and construction projects to arrange their own water supply.

Officials said the next few days will be crucial. Good rainfall over the Maval catchment, particularly around the Pawana and Andra dams, could improve reservoir inflows and ease the situation. However, if rainfall remains weak, further restrictions on water supply cannot be ruled out.

The current crisis has also highlighted long-standing issues, including the city's heavy dependence on the Pawana Dam, delays in the Bhama Askhed water supply project and high transmission losses due to ageing pipelines and leakages.