Pune, 7th August 2026: Pune witnessed an exceptionally strong monsoon rain in July, with the Khadakwasla dam chain receiving more than 43 TMC of water during the month. The inflow was nearly one-and-a-half times the total storage capacity of the four reservoirs, which together can hold 29.15 TMC of water.
Continuous rainfall across the catchment helped all four reservoirs, Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar, reach 100% storage during July. As inflows remained high, water authorities released more than 17 TMC of water from the dam system to maintain safe reservoir levels. Of this, 12.33 TMC was discharged from Khadakwasla Dam into the Mutha River.
The rainfall data also reflected the strength of this year's monsoon. The Khadakwasla catchment recorded 562 mm of rainfall in July, compared with only 133 mm during the same period last year, significantly boosting water storage across the reservoir network.
Among the four reservoirs, Varasgaon Dam recorded the highest increase in storage by adding 11.09 TMC, followed by Panshet Dam, which gained 8.61 TMC. Officials said this was the first time in five years that Panshet's storage increased by more than 8 TMC during July.
Temghar Dam registered a storage rise of 3.26 TMC, slightly lower than the 3.38 TMC increase recorded during July 2024. Khadakwasla Dam itself added 1.58 TMC during the month.
The strong monsoon has substantially improved water availability for Pune and surrounding areas. With all four reservoirs filled to capacity and sustained inflows recorded throughout July, the Khadakwasla dam system has entered the remainder of the monsoon season with a comfortable water reserve while controlled releases continue to ensure dam safety and effective flood management.
