Pune: PMC’s Equal Water Supply Scheme Nears Completion; Metered Water Billing To Begin In March 2026
Pune, 5th March 2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) ambitious Equal Water Supply Scheme, aimed at providing uniform water pressure across the city, is 75% complete and is expected to be fully operational by December 2025. As a result, Pune residents will start receiving water bills based on meter readings from March 2026.
Municipal Commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale made this announcement while presenting the PMC’s ₹12,618 crore budget for the financial year 2025-26 to the Standing Committee on Tuesday. Addressing the media, he provided updates on the progress of the water supply scheme, emphasizing the corporation’s commitment to equitable water distribution. He stated that the PMC has already allocated funds for the maintenance and repair of the scheme for the next decade.
The project, for which tenders worth ₹2,048 crore were floated, has seen an expenditure of ₹1,471 crore so far. The remaining work is on track for completion by the end of 2025. As part of the initiative, water meters are being installed in various parts of the city. Of the 141 designated water supply zones, work in 62 zones has been completed, with the entire scheme expected to be fully functional by January 2026.
To ensure effective implementation, advanced technology is being used to detect water leakage and unauthorized connections. The PMC recently demonstrated the use of robotic machines for pipeline inspections, and ₹50 lakh has been earmarked in the 2025-26 budget for this purpose.
As of January 2025, the PMC has collected ₹102 crore in charges from residents already using metered water connections. Currently, Pune has 47,070 water connections, but outstanding arrears amount to ₹727.96 crore due to issues such as double billing, faulty meters, closed tap connections, and pending dues from slum areas. In an effort to recover these dues, the PMC conducted three Lok Adalat sessions in the financial year 2023-24, managing to recover ₹1.13 crore.
Dr. Bhosale also revealed that a proposal has been submitted for the construction of a water purification center to cater to newly merged villages within the municipal limits. Plans are underway to extend the Equal Water Supply Scheme to these areas, with work expected to commence soon. If the state government provides financial support for the purification center, construction of water storage tanks will also begin immediately.
