Crackdown on water thefts intensifies across Pune’s Pimpri Chinchwad

As summer intensifies, Pune is once again grappling with water scarcity. Representation Pic/istock

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has restarted its crackdown on illegal water extraction, seizing motor pumps found connected to municipal pipelines taps. Recently, nearly 25 motor pumps were confiscated in the Pimple Nilekh area alone, after complaints that some residents were using electric motors to extract water at high pressure - leaving others with low or no water supply.

As summer intensifies, Pune is once again grappling with water scarcity. The residents of Pimpri Chinchwad from the last five years have been receiving an alternate-day water supply, and the water demand has surged significantly.

Whenever there's a technical fault or maintenance work at water purification plants, water supply gets disrupted in some areas. During the summer months, several elevated areas such as Pimple Nilakh, Kalewadi, Bhosari, Wakad, Pimple Saudagar, Sangvi, Dapodi, Dighi, Moshi, and Charholi faced inadequate water supply. In response, many residents have started using electric motor pumps to draw water directly from municipal taps, which disrupts fair distribution.

Ajay Suryawanshi, joint city engineer of the Water Supply Department at PCMC, said, "Water is a precious and limited resource that must be used responsibly. We appeal to citizens to comply with regulations, failing which the PCMC will take strict punitive action against violators."

He further shared that during a special drive, the Water Supply Department confiscated 25 electric motors from the Pimple Gurav area. According to PCMC's Rule No. 15, connecting electric motors or pumps to authorised water connections is strictly banned. Those caught violating the rule will face serious penalties as the civic body steps up efforts to stop such practices.

With water usage rising sharply during the summer, PCMC has urged residents to use water wisely and avoid unauthorised usage that puts pressure on the system. PCMC has advised citizens to first store water in underground tanks and then pump it up to overhead tanks instead of drawing water directly from municipal taps. To enforce these rules, a special squad has been formed to seize illegal motors and identify unauthorized connections. Elevated areas often suffer from low water pressure, which makes fair distribution even more important.

Some residents told mid-day that older houses often don't have underground storage tanks and depend entirely on overhead tanks. When the water supply is low, they have no choice but to use electric pumps, even though it's technically illegal. "During summer, every household's water needs go up. But because some people use electric motors, others get less water," said local resident Shobha Sutar. "Instead of alternate-day supply, the civic body should consider giving water daily, even if it's for a shorter time, but with good pressure." Despite all the efforts, illegal extraction and uneven supply of water continue to be a major concern for the civic administration.