Pimpri-Chinchwad has begun a 10 per cent water cut, with the municipal corporation ordering inspections at car-washing centres and construction sites and warning housing societies to use treated water for gardens and lawns. The restrictions are intended to conserve supplies amid deficient rainfall forecasts and concerns over future shortages.
Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation officials said ward-level inspection squads would check whether drinking water is being misused. Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi said housing societies using non-functional sewage treatment plants (STPs) would face permanent disconnection of their water connections. Societies have been directed to use treated water from STPs and greywater treatment plants for gardens, lawns and plants instead of potable water.
The PCMC’s daily lifting from Pavana dam has been reduced from 530 million litres per day (MLD) to 480 MLD. Supply from Andra dam has also been curtailed from 90 MLD to approximately 80 MLD. Although Pavana dam is currently 97 per cent full, officials said the reduction was a preventive measure because the reservoir also supplies water for rabi crops in Maval taluka. Higher evaporation during the hotter months could further reduce available storage, they said.
The municipal corporation said it would conduct surprise checks at vehicle-washing centres and construction sites to verify water sources. PCMC Executive Engineer Mahesh Baride said builders generally use borewell or tanker water, but the civic body would check for misuse of drinking water pipelines. The corporation has also stopped supplying half-inch pipelines to labour camps at construction sites in view of the water crisis.
New housing projects will receive restricted-diameter water connections intended strictly for drinking purposes because the civic body cannot supply them at full capacity, Suryavanshi said. Electric pumps used to draw water directly from municipal pipelines will be confiscated, while those found using unauthorised drinking water connections at vehicle service centres could face disconnection and criminal cases. The PCMC also said no new water connections would be provided to washing centres and other large commercial projects.
Commercial establishments, construction projects and other non-domestic users have been told to arrange their own water supplies. Penal action will be taken against users found diverting drinking water for purposes other than domestic use, schools and hospitals. The corporation has also asked residents to prevent overflow and leakage from ground-level sumps and overhead tanks, and to report leaks in roadside pipelines to the Water Supply Department.
As part of its contingency planning, the PCMC is assessing 83 identified wells within its limits. Only one is publicly owned, while 82 are privately held. Officials will evaluate their water-yield capacity and consider formal acquisition if reservoir supplies decline further. The civic body has also warned against unauthorised groundwater extraction, storage and tanker sales, saying criminal cases will be filed under District Collector’s orders.
The PCMC said its decision followed instructions to municipal corporations and other relevant bodies to enforce a 10 per cent reduction so that existing water storage can be sustained until August 31, 2027. It has appealed to residents to use water sparingly and said housing societies demonstrating planned and prudent consumption would be felicitated.