Pune: PMC Approves Consultant For ₹890 Crore Clean Water Project In GBS-Affected Villages
Pune: PMC Approves Consultant For ₹890 Crore Clean Water Project In GBS-Affected Villages
Pune, June 28, 2026: In a major step towards addressing water quality concerns in Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)-affected areas, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has approved the appointment of a private consultant for a proposed ₹890 crore water supply project aimed at providing treated drinking water to 12 newly merged villages.
The proposal received approval from the PMC Standing Committee on Thursday. The appointed consultant will prepare the mandatory Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report, paving the way for implementation of the large-scale water infrastructure project.
The project comes in the wake of the GBS outbreak reported in January 2025 across 12 villages that were recently merged into the PMC limits. These include Nanded, Kirkatwadi, Nandoshi, Narhe, Sanasnagar, Khadakwasla, Dhayari, Jambhulwadi, Kolewadi, Mangdewadi, Gujar Nimbalkarwadi and Bhilarewadi. Health experts had identified contaminated water supply as one of the possible contributing factors behind the outbreak.
According to PMC officials, the proposed scheme aims to ensure a reliable supply of clean and treated drinking water to residents of these villages. Currently, the areas receive around 47.50 million litres per day (MLD) of untreated chlorinated water, while an additional 2.49 MLD of potable water is supplied through tankers.
Residents, however, claim that water supply issues continue despite repeated assurances from the civic administration. Many localities remain dependent on tanker water, with complaints about poor water quality, low pressure and irregular supply.
PMC officials maintained that the new project has been designed specifically to address these concerns and ensure a sustainable supply of safe drinking water.
According to the detailed project report, the proposed scheme includes construction of a jackwell and pump house to draw water from the Khadakwasla Dam, two 100 MLD water treatment plants, transmission and distribution pipelines, storage reservoirs and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) automation system.
The PMC is also exploring funding options through an international financial institution to execute the project.
