3 water tanks to be built at Hanuman Tekdi; activists raise concerns

Despite citizens’ concerns that the construction of three water tanks atop Hanuman Tekdi would destroy the area’s natural water recharge system and that a tank already existed near Law College Road area, the PMC has moved forward with the project.

Environmental activists are upset because the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) water supply department has started marking the land for the construction of the water tanks. They claim that the hill’s flattening will seriously harm the environment.

A senior PMC official said that they had all the necessary authorizations and that the water from the tanks would benefit around five lakh people. 

A resident living nearby Hanuman Tekdi said that when the PMC began excavation in 2017, the forest department had issued an order for a stay. However, the Ministry of Environment granted the PMC clearance. The PMC re-started work on the project recently and floated tenders this year. Two of the tanks would be elevated, and one would be at ground level. 

Sushma Date, Member of Save Vetal Tekdi Foundation & resident near Hanuman Tekdi, said “We are not opposing constructing water tanks but does our dams have enough water for the 3 tanks proposed on Hanuman Tekdi? If not, why to affect the Tekdi? Around 1 hectare construction will be done to build the tanks. Hence, people will not get adequate open space to walk on the Tekdi. As per a report, tekdis in Pune have natural aquifier recharge potential. So, if you excavate such a big space, natural aquifiers & groundwater would be impacted. Borewells will start drying up. Hence, an alternative must be searched without damaging the tekdis.”

The resident claimed that in addition to natural streams, the project would destroy the eco-sensitive zone and ancient aquifer systems. In order to build artificial tanks, the 0.7 hectare construction will destroy the natural water recharge systems. The development plan of PMC designates tekdis as open spaces. The amount of open space per person will decrease after the tanks and the outer wall are built.

According to a senior PMC water department official, the Tree Authority had granted them permission to cut down the trees. A number of petitions led to the work’s termination. They started over from scratch and obtained all necessary permissions, including the ministry of the environment.

The official also stated that the three tanks would have a capacity of 17 million litre, 3.5 million litre, and 3 million litre of water storage respectively. Because it is at an elevation and supplies low-lying areas, the location is perfect. They intend to re-apply for permission to the Tree Authority for authorization to remove the trees. Within the next eighteen months, the work is anticipated to be finished. It will help nearby residents who are having problems with their water supply.

At a meeting on Pune City’s water problems on Thursday in the council hall, a citizen activist brought up the issue. The activist claimed that the PMC had previously squandered money and destroyed priceless biodiversity in Pune’s hills. On the hill close to Law College, there once stood a water tank, but it is now defunct. Taxpayer funds will be wasted on this project, which will also cause a loss to biodiversity. What use will these tanks serve when the city is sorely short of water?