Pune water cut to stay at 10 per cent, mayor directs civic administration

The threat of a deeper water cut for Pune residents has been averted for now. The mayor has clearly directed the administration not to increase the 10 per cent water cut currently in force in the city until the canal committee meets.

The mayor has expressed displeasure over the water quota the Irrigation Department has sanctioned for the Pune Municipal Corporation. The corporation says that, given the city's needs, it should get at least 16 TMC of water, as it did last year. Against that, the sanctioned quota is short by about five TMC. The dams currently hold about 24 TMC of water. Despite this, a lower quota has been sanctioned for Pune, which has left residents confused about the water cut.

Meanwhile, Standing Committee member Haridas Krishna Charwad has moved a proposal. He has demanded that water be planned for the whole year for Pune city, the suburbs and the newly added villages, and that a comprehensive water management plan be prepared for this. The proposal says the corporation's challenge of water planning is growing in view of the city's rising population, rapid urbanisation and the uncertainty of rainfall. The aim is to avoid water shortages in future and to ensure Pune residents get regular water throughout the year.

The proposal acknowledges that there is no serious shortage of water in the city at present. Even so, it says measures are needed now to deal with a crisis ahead. These include proper planning of available water, stopping leakages in water lines, avoiding wastage, and reusing treated sewage water.

A demand has also been made about how the cut is implemented. Instead of options such as keeping water off one day a week or supplying it on alternate days, a technical and practical study should examine whether regular supply for a short time every day is possible.

While planning for the year, it asks that the water quota sanctioned by the Irrigation Department, the storage available in the dams, the growing population and the leakage that occurs during distribution all be assessed. It also demands equitable distribution of water across the city, suburbs and added villages, using transparent norms based on population, geographical conditions and distribution capacity.

The proposal also stresses citizen participation. It demands a "Save Water, Save Pune" campaign to make people aware of saving water at home, stopping tap leakages and avoiding wastage. It also stresses coordination between the corporation's water supply, sewage treatment, garden and construction departments and the Irrigation Department to implement these measures properly.