Pune: Residents of Phursungi and Uruli Devachi continue to face a severe water shortage despite the region’s proximity to Pune city. The reduction in water tanker supply has exacerbated the crisis after these villages were excluded from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Areas like Ghulevasti, Ganeshnagar, Uttamnagar, Powerhouse, and the Railway Station have experienced contamination of water sources such as wells and borewells over the last 12 years due to the nearby garbage depot. This contamination has made residents reliant on water supplied by tankers from the PMC.

Despite the reservoirs being full, these villages remain thirsty, as the number of tankers reaching them has decreased significantly. Residents had hoped that their inclusion in the municipal corporation would resolve the long-standing water scarcity.

However, even after years of promises from the municipal authorities, the problem persists, and with the recent exclusion of the villages, the situation has worsened. Locals now accuse the municipal administration of neglecting their basic needs.

The PMC had assured in 2010 that open dumping at the Uruli Devachi-Phursungi garbage depot would be stopped, and developmental work would begin. However, residents report that no concrete actions have been taken.

Protests by citizens have yielded only empty promises about water supply and development projects. People in the area continue to suffer from foul odors, disease-spreading mosquitoes, flies, and the health risks associated with the contaminated, foul-smelling black water.

The frustration among residents has reached a tipping point. They are demanding immediate attention from the municipal administration to ensure a regular and adequate water supply.

Citizens complain that many of the municipal water tankers are being diverted to hotels, eateries, warehouses, and factories, where they receive more money. This diversion leaves residential areas without adequate water, further aggravating the water scarcity problem.