Pune: Disheartened, frustrated, and losing hope, residents of Undri, NIBM Road Annexe, and Mohammadwadi are bracing for worsening water woes as the Pune Municipal Corporation prepares to introduce alternate-day water supply from June 15, despite many still lacking proper connections or receiving supply for barely two hours a day.
Residents Voice Concerns Over Delays and Poor Quality
Kishor Baligar, secretary of Dorabjee Paradise Bungalow Society, expressed his frustration: "It has been 10 days since we applied for a water connection, and officials still can’t identify the pipeline that will supply us. Roads are being dug up and then hastily repaired. It looks like there’s no proper mapping of pipelines. With alternate-day supply, we are back to square one, still dependent on tankers and still waiting."
PMC officials admitted that the situation was far from ideal. Rajesh Shinde, executive engineer with PMC, said while about 23 housing societies had received water connections so far, nearly 10 applications remained stuck due to incomplete paperwork. "Water is currently supplied for around two hours a day, depending on availability. With alternate-day supply from Monday, even these newly connected societies will be affected," he said.
Bitter Relief for Newly Connected Societies
For residents who recently tasted PMC water, that relief has been fleeting and bitter. Vijay Dalvi of Ganga Florentina said, "Water reached us in May, but only for a few days. Even the quality was poor. We were initially told there was a pipeline leak. Then came the excuse of a pump breakdown. Even today, no one knows when we’ll get clean and regular supply."
A resident of Ganga Kingston Housing Society added, "After the CM inaugurated water tanks in mid-May, many societies still await connections. Pipelines are incomplete in several areas. Amid all this chaos, we are now being asked to accept alternate-day supply."
Mixed Reactions to PMC's Move
Yet, not everyone is entirely critical of PMC’s move. Bhupesh Patil of Raheja Reserve Condominium said the situation, though grim, might not be permanent. "If the monsoon is good, things will improve. Water scarcity forced PMC to announce cuts. We need to understand this," he said.
Even those with water connections are beginning to feel concern. A resident of Imperial Towers said, "We were among the lucky ones, but even our water supply now stops without warning for hours. Nearby societies have been waiting for years. The worse part is that PMC knew the infrastructure here wasn’t ready, yet permissions for new buildings were given."
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