Ajit declares: No weekly water cut

Pawar said he would meet the PMC and Irrigation Department officials every month so as to plan water usage for the next month and review the issues of the last month.

“The option of implementing a weekly water cut was being considered by the PMC but we have decided against it. Instead,we decided to reduce per day supply to save water. Now,the PMC will get 1 TMC water every month. We will meet every month to plan the usage,” said Pawar at a meeting attended by local MLAs,PMC officials,District Collector,Divisional Commissioner and Irrigation Department officials.

Pawar said PMC and irrigation department officials should try to use water efficiently instead of shirking responsibility.

“A lot of news stories are making rounds about Irrigation Department blaming PMC for the current water scarcity and vice-versa. This should stop. Both should concentrate on conserving water,” said Pawar.

He said as water from Khadakwasla,Panshet,Varasgaon and Temghar dams was proving insufficient,there was an urgent need to pursue the pipeline project to get water from Bhama Askhed dam to meet the water needs of the city. He directed the PMC to float a tender for carrying out pipeline work so that water could be supplied as early as possible.

Pawar said he had ordered the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) officials not to implement its electricity cut on Thursday so that water supply pumps could operate.

‘Make water
meters mandatory’

PUNE: Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also underlined the need for the Pune Municipal Corporation to introduce metered water supply to consumers to bring down the per capita water usage which currently,he said,was “very high”.

Pawar said if consumers are charged for water on the lines of electricity board which increases the per unit cost with higher usage,it would bring down wastage of water.

“Current per capita usage of 289 litres is very high compared to the national norms. To bring down this by reducing wastage of water,we will have to install meters and charge as per the water usage,” said Pawar.

He also stressed the need to revamp the present water supply system which leads to water leakage of 25-40 per cent. The need to reduce the water usage was brought to Pawar’s notice by Irrigation Department officials who said the water needs of the city were increasing exponential which,they argued,was not in proportion to the population growth. “In 2006-07,the water need was 11.27 TMC,today it is around 16 TMC which is about 50 per cent of the water storage of the four dams. If it continues with this pace,in 12-15 years it would become impossible to meet the water needs,” said irrigation officials.