Pune, 1st July 2026: After an exceptionally dry June, rainfall finally picked up in the catchment areas of the Khadakwasla dam chain during the closing days of the month, bringing minor inflows into the reservoirs. While the fresh showers have slightly improved water storage, the overall reserve remains significantly lower than last year's levels.
Rainfall intensified across the Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar dam catchments on Tuesday, with the Konkan-side hills adjoining Varasgaon receiving steady showers. This helped generate small inflows into the reservoirs, resulting in a marginal rise in storage.
By 5 pm on Tuesday, Khadakwasla dam had recorded 87 mm of rainfall during June and was holding 0.30 TMC of water, equivalent to 14.97% of its capacity. Panshet recorded 102 mm of rainfall and stored 1.81 TMC (16.97%), while Varasgaon received 98 mm of rain with a storage of 1.53 TMC (11.91%). Temghar also recorded 102 mm of rainfall, but its storage remained negligible.
The combined storage in the four reservoirs stood at just 3.63 TMC, or 12.45% of total capacity. On the corresponding date last year, the dam chain held 14.33 TMC of water, or 49.15% capacity, highlighting the impact of this year's delayed and below-normal monsoon.
The weak monsoon was also reflected in Pune city's rainfall figures. The India Meteorological Department's Shivajinagar observatory recorded only 64 mm of rainfall during June 2026, making it the third driest June since 2016.
Rainfall records show that only June 2022 (35 mm) and June 2016 (59 mm) received less rainfall than this year. Although late June showers have offered some relief, rainfall remains well below normal compared to most recent years, keeping concerns over Pune's water availability alive as the monsoon season progresses.
