Cannot supply water to villages within 5 km radius from boundary: PMC informs PMRDA

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has informed the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) that it cannot supply water to villages within a 5 km radius from its boundary as it has to pay fines to obtain additional water from the Bhama-Askhed and Khadakwasla dams for the purpose.

Nandkishor Jagtap, chief superintendent engineer of the water supply department of the PMC, said, “We sent a letter to the PMRDA administration last week and conveyed how inconvenient it is for us to supply water to villages within a 5 km radius from the PMC limit. We have explained the reason in the letter.”

In the letter, PMC informed the PMRDA that it needs 24 TMC of water (which will rise to 26 TMC by 2037) to supply to Pune city, including both the old and new limits, but has been sanctioned only 16.36 TMC water storage from the Bhama-Askhed and Khadakwasla dams till 2032, and has to pay fines to obtain the additional water. The PMC also said in the letter that it needs water for the PMRDA’s TP scheme.

PMC letter pointed out that without an increased water quota, the PMC cannot provide sufficient water. Currently, water schemes for five out of the 23 newly-merged villages are underway, but they will take two to three years to complete. Therefore, it is uncertain how much water will be needed in the future. Additionally, the increased water quota must be approved as water cannot be supplied without necessary approval.

The PMRDA commissioner had issued a circular last month stating that the PMC must provide water to villages within a 5 km radius from the PMC boundary. The circular had further said that the PMC must obtain a letter confirming that the municipal water scheme is in progress in the said areas and only after receiving such confirmation would permission be granted for both commercial and residential construction.