The Indian Express                        24.03.2013

‘No summer woes for Pune this year’

Drought is a problem in most parts of the state but not in the city.
Well, at least that is what the numbers and the civic officials would
have you believe.

While there has been a 20 per cent decrease in the number of
tankers and dams supplying water across the city in comparison to last
year, the civic authorities claim that Pune “has more water this year
than what it had last year”. Against an average 14,000 trips by tankers
per month that would supply water, the number has come down to 9,000
this year, said PMC superintendent engineer V G Kulkarni.

“The water situation is satisfactory. No further water cuts are
in the pipeline for the city,” Kulkarni said. Senior water department
officials said the demand for tankers has been low this year. “We can
say that we are witnessing a 20 per cent reduction in the demand for
tankers this year,” officials said.

With levels of the four dams supplying water to Pune city having
above 50 per cent storage, the onset of summer has not brought about any
drastic water scarcity in the city. Civic officials expressed
confidence that this summer, the city would not have to face the
uncertainties, as it had last year.

Pune city gets water from four dams — Temghar, Warasgaon,
Panshet and Khadakwasla. As on March 22, Temghar was 89.34 per cent
full, Warasgaon 97.21 per cent, Panshet 97 per cent and Khadakwasla was
51.34 per cent full. The cumulative water level of the four dams was
around 15 TMC. With the monsoons expected to arrive by mid-July,
officials from the water supply department are confident that the water
would be sufficient for the next three months.

By this time last year, Temghar was 91 per cent full, Warasgaon 90
per cent, Panshet 98 per cent and Khadakwasla was 83 per cent full.
However, post the civic elections, the water situation had taken a turn
for the worst, with the irrigation department asking for 20 per cent
water cuts in the city. According to the department, the failure of the
winter rains had resulted in not filling up the dams. Water in the dams
was required for agricultural usage also. However, post a meeting with
the deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, it was decided that no further
water cuts were necessary.

According to officials, the PMC has undertaken major leakage
repairing work in the pipelines and has taken strict action against
citizens wasting water. This, they claimed, had worked for the city and
would continue to do the same for the next few months. The civic
administration has made planning for distribution of water so that it
lasts till mid-July, said a PMC official, adding that no major water cut
has been required so far, however adding: “…but nothing can be said
about the future.”

Due to the summer heat, civic officials said the demand of water
has increased and so, calls are coming for water tankers. “The citizens
are given water through tankers if their demand is genuine and also if
tankers are available,” he said, adding that the PMC campaign on water
conservation has also shown good result.

Keeping in view the drought that is looming large over the state,
many citizens’ groups have taken up awareness drives, to help conserve
water and preserve it too.

Satish Khot, president of the National Society for Clean Cities (NSCC),
said they have been holding weekly meetings to create awareness about
the same. “We want PMC to be involved in this process to make it more
effective. Also, the civic body should immediately take action against
illegal water connections,” he said.