Pune Water Crisis: Baner Balewadi Housing Societies Flag Short Supply, Heavy Dependence On Tankers At Review Meeting
Pune Water Crisis: Baner Balewadi Housing Societies Flag Short Supply, Heavy Dependence On Tankers At Review Meeting
Pune, March 30, 2026: Several citizen groups from Pune district had jointly filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in 2022 in the Bombay High Court over persistent water supply issues. Acting on the petition, the court directed the Divisional Commissioner to hold regular review meetings with all concerned officials and stakeholders to ensure smooth water supply across the district.
In compliance with these directives, a review meeting on the water crisis was held on March 27 under the chairmanship of Divisional Commissioner Chandrakant Pulakundwar.
Representatives from housing societies in the Baner-Balewadi area, under the banner of the Balewadi Welfare Federation, attended the meeting and raised several key concerns before the Commissioner.
The federation highlighted that municipal water supply remains inadequate for many societies, forcing residents to rely heavily on borewells and water tankers. At present, around 250 to 300 tankers are procured daily to meet the demand.
They further warned that tanker dependency is likely to increase over the next three months as borewells are already beginning to dry up. The annual expenditure on tanker water alone is estimated to be between ₹10 to ₹12 crore.
The federation also raised concerns about rapid urbanisation in the area, noting that several large residential projects are nearing completion, which could add an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people to the population. Questions were raised about long-term water supply planning, including whether a Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared. However, officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation’s water supply department were unable to provide satisfactory answers.
It was pointed out that while the area requires approximately 9 MLD (million litres per day) of water, only 6 MLD is currently being supplied — a gap acknowledged by municipal officials during the meeting.
The Divisional Commissioner has directed officials to provide detailed clarification on these issues in the next review meeting.
Additionally, the federation flagged the lack of ward-level meetings between authorities and citizens on water-related concerns. Federation representative Moreshwar Balwadkar suggested that such meetings be conducted in coordination with local mohalla committees. The Commissioner accepted this recommendation and instructed the Pune Municipal Corporation to initiate the same.
A list of societies receiving inadequate water supply was also submitted to officials, who have assured that they will reach out to the affected societies.
The federation’s representation was led by Yash Chaudhary and Ashish Kotamkar, with members Ramesh Rokade, Dafedar Singh, Shailesh Patil, and Omprakash Wankhede also present at the meeting.
