Pune: Rainfall Eases After Heavy Downpour; Khadakwasla Dam System Near Full Capacity

Pune: After two days of intense rainfall that caused widespread waterlogging and flooding in several parts of the city, Pune witnessed a brief respite on Saturday with only light, intermittent showers. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light rain over the city for the next two days, while heavy rainfall is likely over the ghat areas on Sunday.

According to the IMD, the low-pressure system that had developed over Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha has weakened, leading to a drop in the intensity of rainfall across the region. The city remained cloudy through the day, with light showers reported at intervals and cool winds bringing down the temperature.

The weather improved enough for people to step out during the evening, leading to increased activity in markets and commercial areas. However, light rain returned in some parts of the city later at night.

Pune recorded a maximum temperature of 28.6 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 23.1 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The IMD said temperatures are expected to remain largely unchanged over the next two days. Rainfall is also likely to reduce across many parts of Maharashtra in the coming week.

Meanwhile, the heavy rainfall received during July has significantly improved water storage in the Khadakwasla dam system, bringing relief to Pune's water supply concerns. Just a month ago, the four dams supplying water to the city had only 3.66 TMC of water in storage. Following consistent rainfall in the catchment areas, the storage has now increased to 28.61 TMC, which is over 98 per cent of the total capacity.

Among the four dams in the project, Khadakwasla and Varasgaon have reached full capacity, while the overall storage across the dam system is sufficient to meet drinking water and agricultural needs for the coming year. Authorities have already released around 6 TMC of water from the reservoirs to maintain safe water levels after the dams filled following heavy rainfall during July.