As per PMC statistics, the number of water tanker trips rose to 31,892 in August 2023 from 26,030 in August 2022. As compared to 29,621 tanker trips in September 2022, the number increased by 2,344 in September 2023. According to the civic officials, the demand for water tankers has increased in the expanded PMC limits and is only set to increase further in the coming months.
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Water Tanker Trips: According Civic
According to the civic officials, the demand for water tankers has increased in the expanded PMC limits and is only set to increase further in the coming months. Since the last one year, PMC has started supplying water through tankers to merged villages due to which the number of tankers has increased.
Water is supplied through tankers to the merged villages of Wagholi, Mhalunge, Sus, Kirkatwadi, Pisoli, Kondhwe-Dhawade, Kopre, Nanded, Manjari, Narhe, Mantarwadi, Holkarwadi, Handewadi, Wadachiwadi, Shewalewadi, Mangdewadi, Nandoshi, Bhilarewadi, Jambhulwadi, Gujar-Nimbalkarwadi and Kolewadi where most residential societies are facing a water crunch.
Most of the city’s water is supplied by a network of four dams, including Khadakwasla, Panshet, Varasgaon and Temghar. However, the merger of the fringe villages with PMC has led to an increase in the population of the city which has now crossed 50 lakh. Real estate activity too has increased considerably leading to an increase in the city’s demand for water. While the merged villages fall within the PMC limits, the civic body has failed to provide basic facilities such as drinking water and roads in these areas.
Among the merged villages, Wagholi, Sus, Baner, Balewadi, Mhalunge, and Narhe are the most urbanised with more than 1,000 housing societies. The majority of the residents of these areas are from the IT sector and have migrated from different parts of Maharashtra as well as from other states. Despite being integrated with the PMC, these areas and their residents are struggling to receive regular water supply from PMC.
Water Tanker Trips: Opinion
Sanjivekumar Patil, president, Wagholi Housing Societies Association, said, “We have filed a public interest litigation to get regular water supply from PMC. Even the Bombay High Court (HC) has given directives to PMC to form a committee to solve the problem. Around 400 housing societies in the area are dependent on water tankers”.
Jayesh Kamble, an IT professional from Sus, said, “It is an annoying situation that residents of smart cities have to buy water for survival”. Shrirang Chavan, president, Haveli Taluka Nagari Kruti Samiti, said, “After more than one year of merger of villages, PMC has started supplying water through tankers to residents. It is a very strange situation for us”.
Prasanna Joshi, superintendent engineer, PMC water supply department, said, “PMC will have to lay pipeline network in merged villages to supply water. It will take time. In the last two years after the merger of 23 villages, the tanker numbers have increased. For the last one year, we have started supplying water to merged villages. Therefore, there is a rise in the number of water tanker trips. The number will rise further in future”.
“There will be a sharp rise from January. We have installed plastic tanks in merged villages for residents. Besides that, there is a demand from residents during the festival season. People demand water tankers for marriages and public functions also. Therefore, we have seen a rise in the number of tanker trips since the last three months,” Joshi said.
A water tanker owner from Wagholi said, “Due to the lack of adequate water infrastructure in merged villages, we are supplying tanker water. Actually, we are providing a service to people and helping PMC where it has failed to supply tap water and water through its own tankers”.
As per PMC statistics, the number of water tanker trips rose to 31,892 in August 2023 from 26,030 in August 2022. As compared to 29,621 tanker trips in September 2022, the number increased by 2,344 in September 2023. There has been a significant rise in the demand for water tankers following the merger of 34 fringe villages with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to the extent that over 96,508 tanker trips were recorded between August and October 2023 as compared to 80,692 recorded between August and October 2022.
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