Pune: Residents of Hadapsar, Kharadi, and several other areas in the city will have to wait until December for a boost in water supply. The work of laying water transmission lines and commissioning overhead water storage tanks under the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)'s equitable water supply project will extend well beyond the civic administration's May deadline in these pockets. Similar work on water pipelines and tanks has been completed in the southern parts of the city.
Overhead Tanks Yet to Be Ready
According to the PMC, three overhead storage tanks in the Hadapsar area are still not ready. Likewise, works on distribution lines and overhead tanks are pending in Kharadi and parts of Sangamwadi.
Nandkishor Jagtap, head of PMC's water supply department, stated that out of the 82 overhead tanks planned under the project, 68 are ready to supply water to the distribution network. "We are focusing on areas where work is pending. There is a plan to activate the zones to check the impact of works done so far. The next six months will be crucial in terms of finishing the work and monitoring the impact," Jagtap said.
Another official from PMC's water supply department added, "Works are getting completed in phases. We are in the last stage of finishing crucial transmission line works in southern parts of the city. Over five lakh residents will benefit from the commissioning of 14 overhead tanks and the distribution network. Similar upgrades will happen in Hadapsar and other areas. Around 85% of the work on the equitable water supply project has been completed so far. The remaining tasks will be finished in the next six months."
Mayor's Directive and Residents' Agitation
Pune mayor Manjusha Nagpure recently instructed the civic administration to complete maximum works of the project before the monsoon season.
Residents of Hadapsar claimed that they face inadequate water supply more acutely during summer. Delegations from various pockets of Hadapsar staged agitations demanding faster completion of water supply line works.
Former corporator from the Hadapsar area, Pramod Bhangire, said the issue of inadequate water supply was worsening day by day. He emphasized the need to commission the overhead tanks in the area without delay.
Activist Prashant Susare from Hadapsar noted that five overhead tanks were proposed for the area under the equitable water supply project. He said the tanks were still not functioning at full capacity, causing immense problems for thousands of residents.
Kharadi residents reported that the lack of overhead tanks was creating hurdles in maintaining water pressure across all water supply zones.
