For the past 20 years, the water crisis has been a persistent problem for Shyam Kuddyady, a resident of the Konark Campus housing society in Pune’s Viman Nagar. The society spends between Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000 on water tankers, say residents who pin the blame on the nexus between the civic body officials and tanker lobby. “We are one of the 1,600 housing societies in Pune who have to depend on water tankers for our daily needs even during the rainy season,” he said. The crisis has increased the financial burden on the residents who are bound to pay increased the property tax to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), apart from shelling out money to tankers daily. Even as Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil has lifted the ongoing water cuts due to the increased water levels in dams, residents of Viman Nagar and some parts of Baner continue to rely on water tankers. Data from PMC’s water supply department shows that in July 33,613 tankers were in operation in the city. The corresponding figures in July 2022 and July 2021 were 34,785 and 24,864. A majority of the tankers are operated by private agencies for which the housing societies have to shell out a hefty monthly fee month. Back in 2022, 11 residents' organisations across the city knocked at the doors of the Bombay High Court seeking judicial redressal for their water woes. “We have explored all means- but there is no improvement in the water supply. Tankers rule the roost and even during the rainy season societies have to rely on them,” said Qaneez Sukhrani, convenor of the Nagar Road Resident’s Forum, one of the petitioners. On its part, the PMC has expressed its inability to supply water to the parts of the city which “do not come under its ambit”. Aniruddha Pawaskar, head of water supply department, said they are responsible for supply of water only within the city limits. “Also it is not possible to supply PMC’s water tankers to every society,” he said.
