The Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) has restored water supply from its Dehrang Dam to the Old Panvel area after the level in the dam has risen. The civic body says that they are supplying around 10 to 12 MLD water per day from the dam which was stopped at May-end after the water level of the dam had depleted to an unusable level.
The good rainfall in the last week especially after Thursday had increased the dam level and now the civic body has started withdrawing water for the city.
After three years, the city witnessed an acute water scarcity, especially among the residents of Old Panvel. Even PMC started supplying water on an alternate day in the Old Panvel area from May 28 and requested citizens to cooperate with the civic body.
Normally, the monsoon arrives in the city in the first week of June and after a couple of good rains, the civic body had planned to restore the water supply. However, this year the slow pace of monsoon forced the civic body to continue the alternate water supply for more than a month.
During 2018, 2017, and 2018, the civic body faced a similar situation when there was a poor monsoon and it supplied water on an alternate day. However, despite a good rainfall last year, this year, the problem of water shortage cropped up.
At present, the civic body needs around 30 MLD of water daily to supply around 1.5 populations in Old Panvel.
Vilash Chavan, deputy engineer of the water supply department of PMC said the civic body meets 30 MLD water needs from three sources. “The civic body gets water from Taloja Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Maharashtra Jal Pradhikaran (MJP), and Dehrang dam to meet the requirement of citizens,” said Chavan. While MIDC Taloja gets water from Kasadi river near Panvel, MJP withdraws from Patalganag river, originating in the Khandala portion of Sahaydri scrap. However, this year, there was an interrupted water supply from both MIDC and MJP, and thus the civic body withdrew excess water from its Dehrang dam to meet the city’s demand. According to Chavan, the level of the dam has risen to a sufficient level following a good rainfall and thus water supply has been restored with 10 MLD daily.
