Pune: Residents of Vimannagar and Kharadi continue to struggle with chronic water crisis despite rising reservoir levels following recent rains. Complaints of low pressure, truncated supply hours, and a heavy reliance on expensive private tankers persist across several housing societies.In Vimannagar, resident Anita Hanumante, who surveyed multiple societies in the area, highlighted a stark disparity in distribution. “While some pockets have enough water, many others report supply lasting less than two hours a day—barely 50% of their requirement. These societies are forced to rely on borewells and tankers to meet daily needs,” she said.The financial burden on residents is mounting. Vishal Hanchate, secretary of Pride Regency CHS, noted that the situation has deteriorated since June. “We used to get three hours of water daily; now it’s less than two. We are forced to order tankers two to three times a week. During the peak shortage in June, our society spent Rs20,000–Rs25,000 on tankers in just three weeks,” Hanchate said, adding that repeated attempts to reach PMC officials have been ignored.Some residents believe the crisis was triggered by recent infrastructure changes. Ramkumar Sabapathy of Disha Skyline CHS suggested that the problem intensified after a new water tank near the airport was commissioned. “The existing supply was redistributed without an actual increase in water availability, leaving many societies high and dry,” he said.The situation is equally grim in Kharadi. Deepak Patil, chairperson of the Kharadi Housing Societies Welfare Association (KHSWA), stated that water-related grievances have spiked over the last month. “The introduction of alternate-day supply has made things worse. Around 20 societies are suffering from low pressure and sudden changes in timing without prior notice,” Patil said. He further alleged that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) failed to honour a promise to commission a new water tank at Survey No. 38 within 20 days of a recent protest.Responding to the allegations, Eknath Gadekar, executive engineer of PMC’s Bund Garden water supply section, claimed the department is addressing specific complaints. “We are currently working on valve repairs at one location and a leakage at another in Vimannagar. If residents provide details of other affected societies, I will dispatch engineers for an inspection,” he said.Gadekar clarified that while Kharadi is fed by the new Parvati water treatment plant (Khadakwasla system), Vimannagar and surrounding areas rely on the Bhama Askhed scheme. Interestingly, despite the outcry from residents, Gadekar claimed his office has not yet received any formal complaints from Kharadi or Wadgaonsheri.
