Pune Grapples with Widespread Water Supply Disruptions
Residents across various neighborhoods in Pune have expressed growing frustration over persistent interruptions and critically low-pressure water supply that has plagued the city for over a week. Despite a day-long closure announced by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) last week intended for repairs, many citizens report minimal improvement in their daily water access.
Widespread Complaints from Multiple Areas
The primary grievances center on severely reduced water pressure and supply durations that have fallen well below normal expectations. Affected localities span a broad spectrum of the city, including Kalas, Dhanori, Lohegaon, sections of Bavdhan, Pashan, and pockets within Shivajinagar, Hadapsar, Kondhwa, and along NIBM Road.
Several newly elected corporators from these regions have confirmed receiving a flood of complaints from constituents regarding these ongoing disruptions. A corporator representing the Sus area noted that during a recent community meeting, civic services dominated discussions, with water supply issues topping the list of resident concerns.
Political Response and Administrative Accountability
Nilesh Nikam, the NCP leader of his party's group within the Pune Municipal Corporation, stated that the general body will commence its functions next week. "We intend to raise all pertinent water supply issues during the general body session," Nikam asserted. "We will demand clear explanations from the civic administration. Frequently, we receive responses blaming pipeline faults. The authorities must clarify whether their teams conduct regular inspections of the pipeline network."
Resident Testimonies Highlight Daily Hardships
Archana Warpe, a corporator from the Bavdhan-Bhusari Colony area, described the supply last week as "highly erratic," with only slight subsequent improvements that have left citizens dissatisfied due to persistent low pressure at their taps.
Shivajinagar resident Ashish Gosavi shared, "Water supply has been inconsistent for the past two weeks. The situation deteriorated following the PMC's day-long closure on February 5th. Although normalization was expected by February 6th, improper restoration has led to significant hardships, compelling many to incur expenses on private water tankers."
Merged Areas Face Acute Water Crisis
Dhananjay Benkar, an activist and resident of Dhayari-Narhe, emphasized that the water supply situation in recently merged areas is particularly alarming. "Housing societies are now forced to call water tankers daily to meet basic needs, with weekly expenditures running into lakhs of rupees," Benkar explained. "Not only are citizens receiving inadequate municipal water, but there is also a lack of quality checks on the water supplied by these private tankers."
PMC Officials Cite Technical Challenges
PMC officials acknowledged that pipeline repair work in Kalas was initiated but could not be completed due to technical difficulties. They added that pipelines in several areas developed new problems following the day-long closure, which has adversely impacted the overall supply system.
Local teams have been instructed to maintain adequate water pressure in distribution lines to mitigate shortages. A senior official from the PMC's water supply department commented, "Pipeline repairs have been finalized at most locations. The low-pressure problems primarily stem from localized issues such as obstructions in water flow or air pressure complications. Our engineering teams are addressing these low-pressure concerns, and we are actively gathering feedback from local units to implement further improvements."
