Downpour in Kolhapur, five dams overflow

After driest July, showers bring relief to Pune city

Heavy rain pounded Kolhapur district in Pune division on Tuesday, which received more than 560 mm rainfall over a 24-hour period.

Very heavy showers were recorded in Gaganbawda tehsil, and at least five dams in Kolhapur are overflowing due to the steadily rising water levels of the Panchganga, Warna and Bhogawati rivers.

“Gaganbawda received 137 mm rain in the last 24 hours. Three water projects on the Panchganga and one each on the Bhogawati and Warna have gone under water. The Jambre earthen dam too is filled to capacity,” said an official from the Kolhapur district administration.

As a precautionary measure, authorities have started discharging 6,922 cusecs of water from the Almatti dam and 1,139 cusecs from the Koyna dam.

The showers have resulted in the Radhanagari, Dudhganga and Warna dams being filled to more than 60% of their respective storage capacities.

Last year in August, Kolhapur and Sangli districts faced the most devastating floods since 1989, resulting in over 50 deaths and destruction of thousands of hectares of cropland. Moderate rainfall, with heavy showers in isolated places, were witnessed over Pune district.

The showers brought relief to Pune city, which witnessed its driest July in five years.

Despite excess rains which resulted in dams being filled to capacity last year, scanty rain in July this year has caused the water stocks in Pune’s four major dams — Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar — to dip sharply.

The collective water stock in the four dams is at present a little over 31% of the cumulative storage capacity of 29.15 thousand million cubic feet (TMCft).

In stark contrast, during the same period, the four dams were filled to 88% and 86% of their total capacity in 2019 and 2018 respectively.

While Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) was seriously mulling water cuts until last week, Tuesday’s showers may cause them to postpone the move since the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast robust rain for the district throughout August.

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