25 August,2010 07:15 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
Civic body to decide distribution of water for domestic and agricultural use after review meeting
Taking into account the dry spell in the city for the last 20 days, the Irrigation Department will review the situation within six days and enforce water cuts if necessary.
Avinash Surve, Superintendent Engineer, Irrigation, pointed out that there was an abnormal lull in the monsoon this year.u00a0
"If this situation continues, then we may have to enforce water cuts in the city. Earlier, we suggested 50 per cent water cut. We are in a quandary about how to distribute water for domestic use and agricultural purpose," Surve said.u00a0u00a0
Pramod Nirbhawane, Development Engineer (Water Supply), PMC, said the civic body would try its best to avoid water cuts once again. "The water review meeting will be held by the month-end," he said.
So far, all predictions about mid-season rain by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) have failed.
Dr Megha Khole, Director, Weather Department, IMD Pune, had said the dry spell would end by August 16.
Now Dr A B Muzumdar, Director, Weather Control Pune, said the dry spell was expected to end by August 29.
Explaining the present lull, Muzumdar said a low-pressure belt in Bay of Bengal was yet to be created. "If that happens we can expect rain in the next four days. In addition, the velocity of south-western winds coming from the Arabian Sea has decreased," he said.
