PUNE: The state irrigation department will initiate the release of about 7 TMC of water from the Khadakwasla dam to the rural parts of the district over the next four months for the cultivation of rabi crops from the next week, almost a fortnight after the suspension of distribution due to the breach in the Mutha right canal.The decision was taken during the canal committee meeting held in Mumbai on October 4 . The water release will begin from the next week and will be carried out in two rotations of 3.5TMC of water each. The committee also approved the release of about 4.5TMC of water during the summer season.The water will flow into the Mutha right canal, which had recently breached near the Janata Vasahat. The irrigation department assured that repair works had been completed at the spot.The department has been recently pushing the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to cut the city’s daily water consumption from 1,350 MLD to 1,150 MLD. But sources in the PMC said it would be difficult for the civic body to maintain water supply with the cut.As of Saturday, the cumulative water storage in the four dams supplying water to the city and rural parts is 25.49 TMC, compared to 27.44 TMC during the same time last year. Officials of the irrigation department pointed out that the depletion in water level was because of the water released to rural areas due to scanty rainfall during monsoon “The rural parts received low rainfall all through the monsoon. Even the withdrawal phase saw hardly any rainfall in the catchments of the dams and command areas. A broad schedule of water release was chalked out in the meeting and the water supply to rural parts had been curtailed for now,” an official said.

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