The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has begun issuing notices to housing societies resisting the installation of water meters.
The civic body warned that non-compliance could lead to immediate disconnection of water supply. With complaints of uneven and insufficient water supply rising across the city, the PMC has announced it will start recovering water charges on a monthly basis, based strictly on metered consumption. The policy is part of a larger water management overhaul to ensure equitable and uninterrupted distribution. M J Pradip Chandran, Additional Municipal Commissioner, said many areas are drawing more than their fair share of water, leading to shortages in others. “Metering is the only way to discourage wasteful use. Monthly billing based on meter readings will begin in zones where over 90% of connections are already metered,” he stated.
Nandkishor Jagtap, who heads the water supply department, stressed that metering is critical for identifying leakages and theft. “PMC cannot trace leakages in the current system. Meters will allow us to track consumption and plug wastage. Societies refusing meters will face disconnection without further notice,” he said. The city’s metering initiative is also tied to a wider project that includes erecting overhead water tanks to ensure balanced supply. Maintenance of the installed meters will be the responsibility of individual consumers. Citizens found misusing treated water—for activities like vehicle washing, gardening, or construction—will face penalties, officials confirmed.
The push comes amid repeated allegations from the Maharashtra water resources department that PMC is exceeding its allocated quota from local dams, affecting irrigation needs in nearby agricultural areas. Civic officials argue that regulating urban consumption is now critical to balancing the region’s water needs.
