Pune, 27th June 2026: The ongoing water crisis in city's southern suburbs has begun to severely impact housing societies, forcing them to depend heavily on private water tankers.
With the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) supplying water only on alternate days, societies are struggling to meet daily water needs. This has led to a sharp rise in maintenance costs, placing an additional financial burden on residents.
Sun Exotica Society in Yewalewadi has spent nearly ₹7.5 lakh on water tankers between March and June. The society now requires three tankers daily, amounting to nearly 100 tankers a month.
"Tanker charges have doubled from about ₹1,000 earlier this year to nearly ₹2,000 per tanker, which has disrupted our financial planning," said society secretary Ramchandra Khandare.
A similar situation is being faced by Venkatesh Puram Society in Phalenagar, Ambegaon. The 142-member society, which earlier did not rely on tankers, now requires three tankers every two days. This has increased its monthly maintenance expenses by nearly ₹1 lakh, with residents left with no option but to pay higher charges.
Residents have raised concerns about the irregular supply of PMC tankers. Chandrakant Gurav from Sadguru Heights Society said, "We have been requesting municipal tankers for the past 15 days, but there has been no response. It appears that tankers are being diverted to preferred societies despite our complaints."
Gurav also highlighted that water leakages along Jambhulwadi Road continue to waste large quantities of water even as residents face shortages. The lack of timely repairs has further aggravated the crisis, raising questions about water management by civic authorities.
Geeta Patharkar, a resident of Venkatesh Puram Society, expressed frustration over the situation. "The alternate-day water supply has made daily life extremely difficult. We are neither getting regular tap water nor timely tanker services, and managing household work has become a constant struggle," she said.
