The Pune Municipal Corporation plans to launch a mobile application within the next two months for residents to book water tankers at transparent rates, as a 10% citywide water cut increases dependence on private supplies. The proposed system is intended to curb overcharging, provide tanker and driver details, and make deliveries traceable.
Residents in Pune’s old city limits and newly merged villages currently pay between ₹700 and ₹1,200 per tanker, according to the report. The PMC received complaints that private tanker operators were charging excessive rates, prompting the civic body to revive its plan for an app-based booking service.
The civic administration has begun the process of developing the application. Nandkishor Jagtap, chief engineer of the PMC’s water supply department, said the tendering process had been delayed because of the Model Code of Conduct for the Legislative Council elections. The tendering process will begin after the code is lifted.
The project is estimated to cost around ₹35 lakh over three years. The application will extend a tanker-booking system already being used by 104 housing societies in Sus and Mahalunge. That platform was developed by a private company and records tanker registration numbers, driver details and information about PMC officials involved in the process.
Under the existing system, housing society chairpersons register their water requirements through the application. They receive information about tanker availability and expected delivery timings, along with the tanker’s registration number, the driver’s contact details and a one-time password. The transaction is completed after delivery when the OTP is shared with the driver, creating a record of the service.
The PMC intends to extend this model across Pune so that residents can book tankers through a common system rather than relying solely on private operators. The proposed application is also expected to help the civic body monitor bookings and deliveries as demand for alternative water supplies rises.
The plan comes after the PMC introduced a 10% water cut across the city, with reduced supply every Thursday. The civic body has cited concerns over water availability and storage levels in the Khadakwasla dam system, which supplies Pune.
According to the PMC, the dam system has less than 3.5 thousand million cubic feet more water than during the corresponding period last year. The civic body has also said that rising temperatures and evaporation could reduce available water stocks further. Continuing the present pattern of water cuts could save at least 2.30 TMC of water over the next nine months, it said.
The proposed app is therefore being positioned as both a booking facility and a monitoring mechanism. Its rollout will depend on the tendering process, the lifting of the election code and the development of the citywide platform.
