Careful water management and advance planning by the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) have helped the city avoid a severe water crisis despite the Deherang Reservoir, one of its principal water sources, nearing depletion with only eight to ten days' worth of water remaining.
With the southwest monsoon yet to arrive, concerns over water availability persist. However, civic officials say strategic planning, including securing a higher allocation from the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) and reducing dependence on the reservoir, has enabled the city to sustain supplies well into June—something that had not been possible in previous years.
The PMC draws its daily water supply from three sources: the Deherang Reservoir, MJP and MIDC. Located around 15 km from Panvel, the reservoir has a total storage capacity of 3.57 million cubic metres, while the city's daily requirement stands at approximately 32 MLD.
Unlike previous years, when the reservoir would typically approach dead storage by April or May, the enhanced MJP allocation has allowed the civic body to limit withdrawals from Deherang to just 2–3 MLD a day, significantly extending its lifespan.
Officials expect the monsoon to arrive by June 15, but have cautioned that any further delay could put additional pressure on the city's water resources. As a precautionary measure, Panvel has already introduced a weekly water supply shutdown since the end of May to conserve available reserves.
Water Supply Officer Vikas Chavan said only eight to ten days of water remain in the reservoir but attributed its availability until June to effective planning and prudent resource management.
The impact of the prolonged dry spell is being felt more acutely in rural parts of Panvel taluka, where tanker services have been launched in seven villages and hamlets. However, residents say the supply remains inadequate to meet daily needs.
According to the Panvel Panchayat Samiti's Water Supply Department, nine tankers have been deployed to supply water to Madbhuvan, Taratep Wadi, Shivajinagar (Kasalkhand), Shirdhonpada, Belwadi (Nanoshi), Kamathwadi and Garada.
The delayed monsoon has also brought renewed attention to the slow pace of the Jal Jeevan Mission, with less than 40% of the works reportedly completed despite the project being under implementation for the past three to four years. In several villages, residents continue to walk long distances in extreme heat to fetch water.
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