Pune district’s rural water crisis has intensified as incomplete regional water-supply schemes, delayed repairs and a 20% reduction in drinking-water supply from Khadakwasla came under scrutiny at a Pune Zilla Parishad general meeting on Friday. The administration has been directed to complete necessary action within a week and submit a report on the stalled works.
The meeting, chaired by Zilla Parishad president Veerdhaval Jagdale, focused on the plan for addressing possible water shortages. Chief Executive Officer Gajanan Patil, vice-president Vivek Valse-Patil, additional chief executive officer Chandrakant Waghmare and chairpersons of various subject committees attended the meeting.
Officials said the district’s water-shortage action plan would be finalised within two to three days and forwarded to the district collector. The plan is expected to cover affected villages and measures required to manage water availability in the coming period.
Members raised concerns about the incomplete Kadus, Mulshi and Belna regional water-supply schemes. Tanuja Ghanwat said villages were not receiving water because work on the Kadus scheme remained unfinished. In the Varude-Baburav area of Khed taluka, incomplete schemes being implemented by the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran have contributed to severe water shortages, members said.
Deepti Bhogade told the meeting that the shortage had also affected the availability of drinking water for livestock. In Junnar taluka, Smita Kanse reported that some villages connected to the Belna regional water-supply scheme were going without water for as long as eight days. Issues affecting Morachi Chincholi and Kanur Mesai were also raised.
The Mulshi regional water-supply scheme’s first and second phases were discussed by group leader Shivaji Buchade. Jagdale said a separate meeting would be held to examine the scheme. Members also drew attention to shortages in Satgaon Plateau and the eastern parts of Ambegaon taluka, as well as the water-supply problem in the Shivganga valley.
The meeting heard that the district’s capacity to repair hand pumps was constrained by shortages of staff and equipment. Karan Khalate raised the issue, while Rupali Konde highlighted the incomplete water scheme in the Shivganga valley. Vijay Singh Shinde demanded that water-stressed villages in Khed taluka be included in the district’s shortage plan.
Patil informed the meeting that drinking-water supply from Khadakwasla dam had been reduced by 20%. An irrigation rotation would be released for rabi crops after the kharif season, but no rotation would be released during summer, he said. The decision adds pressure to the district’s water planning as rural settlements prepare for a period of tighter availability.
The Zilla Parishad also decided to send a proposal to the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency seeking an increase in the existing 60-metre limit for borewells under the groundwater law, citing drought conditions. Additional staff will be made available for borewell repairs, Jagdale said.
Jagdale directed action against gram sevaks in villages where bunds had not been constructed on streams and drains despite water being available. The Zilla Parishad’s immediate administrative steps are to complete action on pending schemes within a week, finalise the water-shortage plan within two to three days and submit it to the district collector.
