Water crisis looms large in PMRDA areas
Residents in areas governed by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) are facing an escalating water crisis, with no dedicated water allocation from any dam or reservoir. While municipal corporations and local bodies receive reserved water supplies, PMRDA-dependent regions remain excluded, leaving residents to grapple with daily shortages.
According to PMRDA officials, the region requires at least two TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water to meet its current demands.
Established on March 31, 2015, the PMRDA covers 6,051 sq km, encompassing 697 villages across nine talukas. As per the 2011 Census, the region houses over 7.3 million people. Despite rapid urban development near Pune's city limits, PMRDA areas have no designated water source, unlike Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations, which draw water from assigned dams.
Local gram panchayats are unable to meet the water needs of the sprawling housing projects that have sprung up in the PMRDA region. Although government policy mandates that municipal corporations supply water within five kilometres of their boundaries, most are already struggling to serve their own jurisdictions.
As a result, residents in the adjacent PMRDA zones are left in the lurch.
Despite possessing reserved water resources, both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad corporations have shown little initiative in extending water services to neighbouring PMRDA regions. In a bid to force action, PMRDA previously threatened to halt construction permits for new developments unless a water supply solution was secured, leading to tensions between the agency and municipal authorities and prompting escalation to the state government.
Agencies like the Zilla Parishad, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran, and the MIDC are responsible for supplying water to various sectors. However, PMRDA officials allege that these bodies have overlooked the needs of the rapidly expanding residential projects within their jurisdiction.
Even amid the severe shortfall, large-scale construction continues unabated near the city limits. PMRDA has sought expert consultation on water requirements for new projects and concluded that at least two TMCs of water will be essential. Yet, no definitive plan is currently in place to address the crisis.
'Government guidelines direct municipal corporations and other agencies to supply water to residential developments,' said Dr Yogesh Mhase, Commissioner of PMRDA. 'However, additional water resources are urgently needed to support the region's growing population.'
'For us, every day is a struggle,' said Sneha Shinde, a resident of Ganraj Housing Society in Shirur, within the PMRDA limits. 'We moved here hoping for a better quality of life, but we're dependent on water tankers, paying extra, and living in constant uncertainty. It feels like we've been completely forgotten by the authorities.'
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