Pune/Nashik: Incessant rains continued to lash Pune and many parts of western Maharashtra since last night, bringing a long awaited relief to the region which had been experiencing a chronically deficient rainfall.

Steady showers that started in Pune region yesterday grew into a heavy downpour by night and continued this morning, marking first vigorous monsoon activity of the season since last month.

It also diluted the prospects of additional water cut to Pune where the corporation water supply at present has been restricted to every alternate day.

The wet spell also resulted in an increase in water levels of the four dams that supply water to Pune city --- namely Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar.

Pune city recorded 73 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, MeT department reported.

Other parts of western Maharashtra, including Satara, Kolhapur and Sangli, too have been experiencing heavy rains since yesterday, reports said.

Meanwhile, Nashik city and its adjoining areas also experienced good downpour since yesterday after a dry spell last month.

The people in the district, particularly farmers, heaved a sigh of relief as the rains started pouring in.

Amid the dry spell last month, the water stock in the district's 23 reservoirs came down alarmingly while 18 dams went dry, increasing worries for the district administration.

The city's main water source Gangapur dam, having a total capacity of 5,630 million cubic feet (mcft), had just 931 mcft or 17 per cent stock as of yesterday, official sources in Collector office said today.

The district administration is hoping for a good rainfall now, failing which there would be severe water scarcity.