Pune: Why Viman Nagar and Wadgaon Sheri Are Facing Water Issues Despite Ample Supply
Viman Nagar, 30th July 2025: Residents in the eastern parts of Pune—particularly in Viman Nagar and Wadgaon Sheri—are grappling with a worsening water crisis as municipal supply dropped to almost negligible levels on Sunday. Despite Bhama Askhed dam reaching 82% storage capacity, areas in East Pune continue to face erratic and inadequate water distribution, leading to heavy reliance on private tankers and mounting frustration.
Over the past week, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s water supply duration has been drastically reduced from the usual 2.5–3 hours to barely 45 minutes. Residents say the low-pressure, short-duration supply is no longer enough to meet basic needs, forcing housing societies to order multiple water tankers daily, which has significantly increased their expenses.
On Monday, supply was expected to resume by late afternoon but was delayed multiple times. It finally began over an hour late and lasted for less than 45 minutes. Residents also reported poor communication and unresponsiveness from municipal staff, with some attributing the delay to an electricity issue at the pumping station.
The disruption persisted through Tuesday, with many societies receiving no supply at all until the evening. Several residential complexes, especially in Viman Nagar, reported booking up to 12–15 tankers a day to cope with the shortfall.
Citizens from Wadgaon Sheri reported similar concerns, noting that they have been receiving distress calls from other societies in the locality. Many expressed anger over the disparity in water supply across different areas of the city, questioning how some neighborhoods enjoy 24/7 water access while others struggle daily.
Residents collectively pointed to a distribution failure rather than a water shortage as the root cause. According to them, sufficient water is available in reservoirs, but poor planning and management—along with technical glitches such as power outages at the pumping stations—have led to prolonged interruptions.
Before the disruptions began, many societies were managing comfortably without tankers. The abrupt drop in supply has caught them off guard, both logistically and financially.
An official from the PMC’s water supply department confirmed that intermittent power failures at the Bhama Askhed pumping station have contributed to supply irregularities in East Pune. However, residents argue that technical issues cannot justify days of disruption, especially when water reserves are adequate.
As discontent grows, some citizen groups are considering staging protests to demand equitable and consistent water supply for all parts of the city.
