Pune, 14 March 2026: City may face a serious water supply crisis at the start of summer as the Water Resources Department has warned of cutting off water supply if the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) fails to clear its pending dues of ₹948 crore for water drawn from the Khadakwasla project.
The department has given PMC a deadline until Monday (March 23) to clear the outstanding amount. If the payment is not made within the stipulated time, water supply to the city could be stopped from Tuesday (March 24). The warning has triggered concern within the municipal administration.
According to the Water Resources Department, Pune has an approved annual water quota of 11.60 TMC. However, the civic body reportedly consumes an additional 8 to 9 TMC of water every year.
For this excess usage, PMC is required to pay around ₹300 crore annually, including penalties. In the current financial year, the corporation has paid only ₹97 crore, leading to a large accumulation of pending dues.
PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram has claimed that the civic body already has ₹411 crore deposited with the Water Resources Department as excess payment. However, the department has rejected this claim, calling it baseless and asking the civic body to first clear the outstanding amount.
Disputes between PMC and the Water Resources Department over water lifting and billing have continued for several years. PMC has argued that the city’s water is not used for industrial purposes, yet the department allegedly charges it under industrial usage rates. The issue remains unresolved despite repeated correspondence with the state government.
Last month, the department had also issued a notice to PMC over pending dues of ₹953 crore. Officials stated that the municipal corporation currently pays only around ₹10 crore per month towards water charges, which has contributed to the growing backlog.
