Satara civic body resorts to water cuts, Kolhapur’s adopts wait-and-watch approach amid searing summer heat & looming El Niño fears

Kolhapur: As summer tightens its grip on Maharashtra, various cities face a looming water shortage, with taps at risk of running dry soon. As a precautionary measure, civic bodies are being pushed to impose supply cuts or rationing to ensure water availability at least till Aug-end, especially in view of El Niño concerns of below-normal monsoon rainfall.According to India Meteorological Department's latest long-range forecast, Maharashtra is likely to receive below-normal rainfall this monsoon, in line with the broader national outlook. The state-level probability map showed a clear dominance of "below-normal" signals across most of Maharashtra, with large stretches of central, western and Marathwada regions shaded in yellow tones, indicating 45-65% probability for below-normal rain.The warning has already translated into action on the ground, with some municipal corporations starting water rationing. Satara Municipal Council has announced that the city will face a weekly water cut from Wednesday, with different parts receiving no supply for one day each week. "Water demand has soared amid intense heat. To make sure every part of the city receives an equal share, we have decided to conserve water through planned cuts," Shahaji Wathare, head of the water supply department of Satara Nagar Parishad, said.This comes despite the overall water stock being slightly better than last year — at least on paper. At the same time last year, dams across Maharashtra had 39% usable water stock left. This year, the figure stands at 48%, irrigation department data showed.Wathare said they lifted 16 million litres of water per day for a population of around 80,000. "Under the new system, one area will face a water cut each day, and the saved supply will be diverted to the rest of the city. Any further cuts will depend on stock in dams like Kas and Kanher, and rivers like Krishna and Urmodi," he said.Traditionally, water planning is done assuming dam stocks will suffice only till June-end, banking on the monsoon to arrive in the first week of the month. But this year, caution has replaced confidence, with officials citing El Niño, warming of sub-surface temperatures of Pacific Ocean, as the key driving factor.In Kolhapur, officials admitted that the lifeline Panchganga river was steadily shrinking. "The irrigation department has formally informed us about the emerging situation and asked us to plan water usage accordingly. We are now preparing to implement water cuts. Soon, we will assess dam stocks and chalk out strategies to manage the available quota if the situation worsens," Harshit Ghatage, chief hydraulic engineer of Kolhapur Municipal Corporation, said. KMC is likely to roll out alternate-day water cuts as an initial step.Solapur presents an even starker picture. Water cuts there are already a harsh reality, with residents receiving supply once in three to five days depending on the locality. In the old city areas, water flows once every three days, while suburban pockets wait up to five days for their turn.Officials insisted that Ujani dam still had sufficient storage, but admitted that poor internal distribution within the city remained a serious challenge. "Delayed rainfall leads to rapid depletion of groundwater levels, and borewells dry up early," Venkatesh Choube, chief public health engineer of Solapur Municipal Corporation, said."In such areas, the demand spikes suddenly. At present, we supply 208 million litres per day against a demand of nearly 250 MLD. We have appealed to residents to use water judiciously," he said.The civic bodies in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad have also been told to mandate 15% supply reduction in view of the weak monsoon. Civic officials, however, maintained that supply cuts would be imposed only in dire situation as the collective stock in the dams supplying water to the city was better than last year.In Nashik too, residents continue to face acute water scarcity due to ongoing supply disruptions, even a week after a two-day shutdown for repairs and maintenance. Several areas reported incomplete restoration on Monday, with pipeline bursts worsening the situation and forcing reliance on private water tankers. The residents also alleged that Nashik Municipal Corporation tankers were not provided despite repeated requests.