Pune: A group of residents from Wadgaon Sheri has demanded that PMC carry out structural audits of three overhead water tanks located in Chandannagar, citing their age and stability.“These tanks were built around three decades ago. The civic administration should conduct the audit and check whether these structures are stable,” said Ashish Mane, a member of the group named Vadgaon Sheri Nagrik Manch.The group submitted a letter to Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) water department on Oct 10, stating that prolonged exposure to water increases the likelihood of structural issues in tank structures, such as concrete deterioration, rusting of iron reinforcement bars and cracking. The representation emphasises that a technical inspection by expert engineers is imperative to avoid any mishaps.“Necessary repairs, jacketing, or retrofitting works should be undertaken immediately based on the findings of the report,” stated the letter.Eknath Gadekar, a senior official of the water department, said that PMC has noted the request, and added, “It is regular practice to conduct such audits. The ideal time for such structural stability studies is around 30 years after construction. So, these tanks do require such audits, which we will carry out soon.”Elsewhere in the city, PMC has built 80 new water tanks across areas under its 24×7 water supply project, which is yet to take off in full swing. The civic body also plans to construct 20 more overhead tanks in the 34 merged areas, which are facing acute water shortages. The storage capacity for these added areas will increase by around 3.5 crore litres in total after the construction of these 20 tanks, a civic official told TOI, requesting anonymity. These tanks will be built in areas like Ambegaon, Bavdhan, Sus, Mahalunge, Jambhulwadi, Wagholi and Lohegaon.Residents of fringe areas have long been complaining that they are not getting adequate water supply even years after the mergers into PMC, and are forced to rely on tankers.
