Pune has permanently lost at least three million cubic metre or three billion litre of groundwater storage capacity due to construction of buildings and their foundations over the upper portions of shallow and weathered basalt aquifers, revealed a recent report on aquifers by the Advanced Centre for Water Resources Development and Management.
The findings revealed that nearly half of the recharge area (46%) is covered by housing societies, like apartment blocks that are typically multi-storied and often with more than one building.”
If collected, three million cubic metre, or one TMC, of groundwater could fill up nearly half of the Khadakwasla dam that has the capacity to store 1.97 TMC of water.
Aquifers are natural underground layers of rock, sand, or gravel that contain water and can supply wells and springs with water. They act as storage units for groundwater.