Pune: A cable fire at the Bhama Askhed Dam jackwell on March 5 afternoon led to a sudden disruption in water supply across major areas of Pune, including Lohgaon, Wadgaon Sheri, and parts of Nagar Road. The breakdown left residents struggling for water throughout the day. Repair work was completed late at night, and normal water supply is expected to resume by the afternoon of March 6.
Water Supply Disruption Affects Key Areas
Water from Bhama Askhed Dam, located 63 kilometers from Pune, supplies several key areas, including:
Wadgaon Sheri, Sanjay Park, and Viman Nagar
MHADA Colony, SRA localities, Kulkarni Garage area, and Yamunanagar
Rajiv Gandhi North and South, parts of Vishrantwadi, and Dhanori
Lohgaon, Chandan Nagar, Kharadi, and Nagar Road
For the past two to three days, residents of Wadgaon Sheri had already been experiencing low water pressure. The situation worsened today when a cable at the Bhama Askhed jackwell caught fire, resulting in a pumping system failure. This led to a complete water supply shutdown in dependent areas.
Repair Work Completed, Water Supply to Normalize Soon
Repair operations were initiated immediately at the jackwell and were completed late at night. However, since the pumping system was inactive for nearly 10 hours, no water could be supplied throughout the day. While pumping has resumed, residents in Nagar Road and surrounding areas may still face disruptions on March 6.
No Undeclared Water Cuts, Says Water Department
Over the past few days, several areas in Pune, including Sinhagad Road, Kothrud, Gokhalenagar, Model Colony, and Wadgaon Sheri, have faced low-pressure water supply, leading to allegations of undeclared water cuts by the municipal corporation.
Following a review by the water supply department, officials clarified that the issue was due to maintenance work, specifically the replacement of pumps at Rohin Kruttika and LMR tanks on Sinhagad Road. This affected water schedules in Sinhagad Road, Kothrud, Karvenagar, Shivajinagar, Model Colony, Gokhalenagar, and Janwadi. Some areas received low-pressure or delayed water supply, but normal service has now been restored.
Nandkishor Jagtap, head of the water supply department, confirmed that while the Bhama Askhed jackwell cable fire had impacted water distribution, there were no intentional or undeclared water cuts in Pune.
