Kondhwa residents face two water cuts a week despite paying property tax and water charges

Erratic water supply in Pune's Kondhwa area has disrupted daily life for residents. People in several localities along Katraj-Kondhwa Road, including Tilekarnagar, Sainagar, Sukhsagarnagar, Gokulnagar, Maulinagar and Santoshnagar, are facing repeated supply cuts, low pressure and late supply.

Residents are angry mainly because they pay property tax and water charges to the municipal corporation regularly, yet do not get their full share of water. They want a proper supply plan drawn up so that the problem is resolved for good.

The Three Jewels society in Tilekarnagar has begun pursuing the matter by email to draw the attention of the Pune Municipal Corporation's water supply department. The society has 1,680 flats, and it has sent hundreds of emails to the corporation and the water supply department over water complaints.

Water supply to Three Jewels society and the surrounding area is shut every Tuesday as part of a fixed weekly closure. On Wednesday, water arrives late and at low pressure, so residents do not get enough. On Thursday, supply is shut again, with tank repair and maintenance given as the reason. As a result, residents face a water shortage on two days in the same week.

The repeated breaks in supply are upsetting household routines. Residents said it is causing them a range of problems. Small children, the elderly and working families are particularly affected. Residents also complain that on days when supply is shut, the corporation arranges no tankers, so they have to make other arrangements themselves to meet their water needs.

Residents are demanding free tankers in the affected areas during scheduled repairs, a corrected supply timetable and a lasting solution to the low-pressure problem. Locals say that if tank maintenance or repair is planned in advance, the weekly water closure schedule should be changed accordingly. If supply has to be shut for maintenance on some day, they say, the Tuesday closure that week should be cancelled and water supplied that day. Residents have said that under no circumstances should supply be shut on two days in one week.

Nitin Khude, executive engineer of the corporation's water supply department, has offered an explanation. He said water was shut on Tuesday and the city's supply was then shut on Thursday, so the effect of two consecutive shutdowns was felt. According to Khude, supply has been restored, but it is taking some time for conditions to return to normal. He said the department's focus is on making supply smooth. Kondhwa residents are now watching what steps the corporation takes and when they will get regular water.