Pune residents faced severe inconvenience on Friday after an unannounced extension of the scheduled water cut left many households without water throughout the day.
Although water supply was expected to resume after Thursday’s shutdown for maintenance, delays in repair work caused widespread disruption.
Citizens who had relied on official assurances waited for hours, but water did not arrive. Many households were left without even basic water for daily activities, forcing people to purchase drinking water cans or depend on alternative sources.
The sudden shortage affected routine life significantly. Cooking, bathing, and other essential activities were disrupted. Office-goers reported delays, with some leaving home without bathing. Housing societies rushed to arrange water tankers, but the surge in demand led to long waiting times.
In some areas, residents depended on borewells or borrowed water from neighboring buildings. Women, children, and elderly citizens were among the worst affected.
The crisis was largely attributed to delayed maintenance at the Parvati Water Treatment Plant, which supplies nearly 70% of the city’s water. Repair work continued beyond the planned schedule, extending into Friday afternoon.
Despite this, the water supply department did not inform citizens about the delay or revised supply timings, leading to frustration and anger among residents.
Further aggravating the issue, a water pipeline near Chandani Chowk was damaged during metro-related excavation work near an IT park. This resulted in significant water loss and affected supply in areas like Kothrud, including Bhusari Colony, Paramhans Nagar, and Shastri Nagar.
While some areas received low-pressure supply after noon, several localities continued to face shortages well into the day.
Residents said the irregular and unpredictable water supply has become a recurring issue, with authorities often unresponsive to queries. They demanded immediate action and better communication.
“Irregular water supply has increased in recent days, and officials do not respond to queries. Immediate measures are needed to provide relief.”
Suvarna Shahane, resident
“Gas shortages had already made things difficult. Now, arranging water tankers has added financial burden and affected business.”
Sadanand Pujari, hotel owner
The civic body stated that major infrastructure upgrades were undertaken during the shutdown. These included replacement of long-defunct valves at the Khadakwasla dam outlet and Warje pipeline, installation of advanced water meters at treatment plants for better monitoring, and completion of multiple electrical and technical works in coordination with power authorities.
Officials said these upgrades will help manage water distribution more efficiently in the future without shutting down supply across the entire city.
With summer already putting pressure on water availability, such disruptions have intensified concerns among citizens. The incident has raised questions about planning, communication, and crisis management by the authorities.
