Pune: The residents of Wadgaon Sheri, Kharadi, and Viman Nagar have been facing severe water shortages for the past eight days, leading to rising frustration and protests. Many areas are experiencing low-pressure and contaminated water supply, while citizens allege that authorities are prioritizing tanker supply over filling public water tanks.
Areas Affected & Public Outrage
The water crisis has severely impacted several localities in Ward No. 3, including:
Dhanlaxmi Society
Ganesh Nagar
Sunita Nagar
Dattaprasad Society
Jagdamba Society
Entire Kharadi and Wadgaon Sheri region
Former municipal corporator Shweta Khose Galande has blamed the failure to fill the Tata Guardroom water tanks as the reason behind the disrupted supply. She has urged the water supply department to take immediate action and has warned of protests if the issue remains unresolved.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has alleged that the crisis is artificially created and has issued a protest warning to the water supply department. Adding to the pressure, a group of women from the affected areas, led by former corporator Usha Kalamkar, visited the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and submitted a written complaint to the chief water supply officer. They have questioned the severe shortage and demanded the reactivation of borewells to increase water availability.
Several citizens have pointed out inequalities in water distribution and have raised concerns over unauthorized water connections and tanker supply preferences.
Chandrakant Jagdhane (Viman Nagar): “There should be an investigation into legal and illegal water connections. Unauthorized connections are causing artificial water scarcity.”
Shridhar Galande (Vadgaon Sheri): “While ordinary residents struggle with water shortages, companies and PG hostels receive timely tanker deliveries. This raises serious doubts.”
Eknath Gadekar, Executive Engineer, Water Supply Department, has assured that efforts are underway to normalize the water supply in the affected areas. “The water shortage is not artificial. Supply to Kharadi, Chandan Nagar, Viman Nagar, and Vadgaon Sheri will be restored by tomorrow,” he stated.
