Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) uses only 14 TMC of the 22 TMC of water it receives annually, while 8 TMC remains unaccounted for, causing a strain on irrigation needs of nearby talukas like Daund and Indapur.
The state water resources department will form a joint task force with PMC to identify water leakages and unutilized water sources and improve water reuse.
Only 30% of used water is treated, while the remaining 70–80% is discharged untreated into rivers, prompting officials to emphasize better sewage treatment and encroachment removal around dams and canals.
Pune, 28 July 2025: Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Monday said that Pune city is utilizing only 14 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of the 22 TMC water it receives from Khadakwasla dam annually. The remaining 8 TMC of water remains unutilized or unaccounted for, raising concerns about wastage, water leakage, and the lack of water reuse infrastructure.
Addressing a meeting at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Vikhe Patil pointed out that this under-utilization is affecting irrigation in nearby rural areas like Daund, Indapur, and Purandar. He stressed that the city must stop water leakage and focus on reusing treated wastewater if it wants an increase in water supply.
The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal, MLAs Bhimrao Tapkir, Sunil Kamble, Hemant Rasane, PMC Commissioner Vikram Kumar, District Collector Jitendra Dudi, Additional Commissioners, and officials from the irrigation department.
The minister stated that PMC treats only about 30% of its used water, while the remaining 70–80% is directly released into rivers without treatment. This, he said, is unacceptable and needs urgent attention.
A joint task force will be formed including officials from PMC and the Krishna Valley Development Corporation to conduct a detailed survey of water usage and leakage across the city. This task force will investigate where and how the unaccounted 8 TMC water is being lost.
Vikhe Patil added that effective planning is required, especially since PMC now includes several villages, expanding non-irrigation areas and increasing water demand. Unless water leakage is reduced and wastewater is reused, the city will not be allocated additional water.
On the issue of outstanding dues, Vikhe Patil acknowledged that the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) claims PMC owes ₹722 crore in dues, which the civic body disputes. Both parties will hold joint discussions to resolve the matter.
Other initiatives discussed include increasing storage capacity of reservoirs by removing silt from city lakes, removing encroachments around dams and canals, and handing over cleared areas to PMC for development of green zones. The administration also plans to implement sewage treatment projects for gram panchayats and nagar panchayats around the dams using a cluster model.
District officials will be responsible for ensuring untreated sewage does not enter the dams, as per the district tourism development plan. Additionally, authorities will focus on managing dam discharge carefully to avoid any flood-like situations in Pune and surrounding areas.
