PMC making citizens install water meters while failing to regulate usage in its own establishments

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is enforcing water meters on citizens while failing to regulate water usage in its own establishments, with currently only two centres having the smart card-based ‘automatic water refilling system’ that was first introduced by the civic body at the Yerawada water tanker refilling station/centre 16 years ago in 2009. The remaining water tanker refilling centres continue to waste lakhs of litres of water due to overflow which is also damaging the roads and creating potholes in them. This, as residents of areas such as Keshav Nagar, Sade Satra Nali, Manjari Budruk and Shewalewadi continue to grapple with severe water shortage.

Most housing societies in the newly-merged villages on the outskirts are supplied water through PMC-appointed contractors’ water tankers. While there are seven major refilling stations/centres across the city, the PMC has been able to install the ‘automatic water refilling system’ at just two (Ramwadi and Wadgaon Sheri) out of the seven refilling stations in the last 16 years.

Nandkishore Jagtap, chief superintendent, PMC water supply department, said, “We installed the automatic water refilling system at the Ramwadi centre which has been working for the last eight months and is giving rood results. We also installed the system at Wadgaon Sheri a couple of months ago. We will install the system at all water tanker filling centres gradually after reviewing it. We have introduced a computerised data system to record water tanker trips to curb irregularities in these trips.”

Social activist Vivek Velankar who has been pushing for an audit of water tankers criticised the PMC for its double standards with respect to water management. “It is unjust that the PMC is forcing citizens to install water meters while failing to regulate its own water usage. How can people trust such an administration? This is sheer negligence on the part of the PMC.” he said.

Velankar pointed out that while the PMC frequently announces grand initiatives such as GPS tracking for water tankers, water meters at the water tanker filling centres, and an equitable water distribution system, these ideas are hardly implemented properly, rendering them ineffective.

Water through tankers

According to the water budget, the PMC estimated the population of Pune at 5,208,444 in 2019 using Aadhar card data etc. For the 2023-24 water budget, the PMC projected a 2% annual population growth, including 298,714 people from 11 newly merged villages and 816,000 from 23 more villages.

The PMC water department has revealed that a large amount of water is wasted during refilling of tankers due to manual handling. Usually, tankers are parked 10 to 15 feet away from the filling centres. The staff opens the valve and water flows through a pipe into the tanker. However, due to lack of coordination between the tanker driver and the staff, nearly 1,000 litres of water are wasted during this process at each centre.

Increase in tanker water supply despite 24×7 project

While work on the 24×7 water supply scheme is in progress, the use of tankers for water supply continues to rise. This year, 4.04 lakh tanker trips have been made; an increase of 4,000 trips over last year. The demand for water has increased due to rising temperatures, leading to a sharp rise in tanker trips over the last two months. In January, 39,692 tankers supplied water while in February, 38,522 tankers supplied water. So far in the fiscal 2024-25, 404,340 tanker trips have been recorded with 359,458 of them operated by contractors. Last year, the total was 400,348 tanker trips with 345,846 of them operated by contractors.

This year’s tanker water supply has already surpassed last year’s figures, and the numbers are expected to increase further as March data is yet to be included. The PMC sources water from Khadakwasla Dam and Bhama Askhed Dam to meet the city’s needs.

Over ₹40 crore spent annually on tanker water

PMC spends around ₹42 crore annually on free drinking water supplied through tankers, especially in areas without a pipeline network. While many parts of the city receive water through pipelines, several villages still rely on tankers. The municipal corporation carries out a tendering process to manage tanker operations.