Pune: The Pune airport is one of the busiest airports in non-metro cities. Every day, around 25,000 fliers arrive at the airport. 

Also, the airport is generating high revenue for the Airport Authority of India (AAI) but is facing a water crisis.

The authority is fully dependent on private water tanker service to supply water services to passengers and staffers.

The Pune airport is getting water from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which is not adequate for 25,000 passengers travelling from the airport every day. Around 50 per cent of the water supply for the airport comes from water tankers.

“We are depending on PMC for drinking water but it is not sufficient. We are buying two thirds of our drinking water from tankers and on third from the PMC. The purchase of water is putting a burden on us and the expenses grew to an average Rs 5 lakh per month,” said Pune Airport Director Ajay Kumar.

The airport authority is receiving 30 to 35 thousand litres of water every day by the PMC, but the actual requirement is 1.2 lakh litres per day. 

In the last one year, new flights have been added from the Pune airport and some were also suspended.
 
The suspension of some flights has not affected the passengers’ movement. In the coming days, new flights will also be added. 

Water Woes

• Pune airport is dependent on tankers for 50 per cent of water.
• The airport authority is purchasing two thirds of water from tankers.
• The PMC is supplying only one third of the water required.
• The airport receives an average of 1.5 lakh litres per day from the tankers.
• Tanker water costs about Rs 15,000-18,000 per day.
• Every month, it costs Rs 5 lakh.