Pune City Faces Water Supply Cuts
The big city of Pune, which has almost 60 lakh people, is facing a big water problem. Three main water tanks that give water to the city – Khadakwasla, Panshet, and Varasgaon – have very less water right now. Because of this, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to cut water supply in different areas of the city from October 15, 2023.
The PMC has made a new plan to give water on different days to different areas. This plan will start from May 5, 2025. Almost 68% of homes, 76% of shops, and 42% of factories will get less water than before. Right now, the water in these tanks is very low – Khadakwasla has only 19.3%, Panshet has 22.7%, and Varasgaon has 17.8% water.
The PMC wants people to use less water. They say each person should use only 115 liters of water every day instead of 165 liters. Big housing societies with more than 50 houses must collect rainwater by July 2025. If they don’t do this, they’ll have to pay 25% extra on their water bills. The PMC will also send 178 water tankers to places where there’s no water supply.
The water cuts will happen in a special way. The city is divided into 23 zones. Each zone won’t get water for 24 hours at different times. Areas like Shivajinagar, Kothrud, and Aundh will have no water on some days. Then areas like Hadapsar, Kondhwa, and Wanowrie will have no water on other days. Similarly, places like Yerawada, Viman Nagar, and Kalyani Nagar will face water cuts on different days.
The main reason for this problem is less rain. In 2024, there was 37% less rain than normal, and 2025 might also have less rain. The PMC is spending ₹287 crore to fix water pipes and other problems. They think this will save about 14% of water that’s being wasted due to leaking pipes.
The PMC has made a mobile app where people can check when they’ll get water. People can also use this app to complain if there are problems. If anyone steals water, they’ll have to pay a fine – ₹25,000 for homes and ₹1 lakh for shops. The PMC wants everyone to help by reporting if they see anyone stealing water.
The Pune business community has expressed concerns about how these water cuts might affect their daily operations and productivity levels.
