PCMC adopts wait-and-watch approach on water cuts, to review situation in two weeks

Pune: Pimpri Chinchwad civic officials on Tuesday said there are no immediate plans to impose further water cuts in the city, where residents has been receiving water every alternate day since 2019.The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has, however, said it will review the situation in a fortnight based on the latest rainfall forecast from India Meteorological Department (IMD) and water stock available in the dams supplying to the city.“We have appealed to residents to use water responsibly and avoid wastage. The situation is being closely monitored and a review will be conducted in two weeks,” said Ajay Suryawanshi, joint city engineer, PCMC.According to civic officials, Pavana dam, the city’s primary source of water supply, currently has around 23% live storage, which is nearly the same as during the corresponding period last year.“The water situation remains under control at present. Future decisions will depend on rainfall forecasts and the water availability in reservoirs,” Suryawanshi said.PCMC currently receives about 530 million litres per day (MLD) from Pavana dam and another 100 MLD from Andra dam. Though state govt has approved an additional allocation of 167 MLD from Bhama Askhed dam, the required pipeline infrastructure is still under construction and the supply is expected to commence next year.Officials said the city’s population has increased sharply from around 17 lakh in 2011 to over 30 lakh now, resulting in a substantial rise in water demand. The civic body introduced alternate-day water supply in 2019, citing inadequate water allocation to meet the needs of the rapidly growing population.Several housing societies, particularly in Wakad, Punawale, Ravet, Chikhali and Moshi, continue to depend on private water tankers during summer months due to inadequate civic supply.Sources in the civic administration said additional conservation measures could be considered if reservoir levels decline further. These may include restrictions on the use of potable water at commercial vehicle washing centres.PCMC has already directed construction projects to use treated water from sewage treatment plants (STPs) instead of potable water. Housing societies have also been encouraged to utilise recycled water for non-potable purposes such as gardening and maintenance of common amenities.