Pune, 12th May 2026: The Central Government has sanctioned infrastructure projects worth ₹1,290 crore for Pune under the Urban Challenge Fund, bringing major relief to residents of 12 merged villages facing unsafe drinking water and recurring flooding issues. The approvals were granted during the Apex Committee meeting held in New Delhi on Monday.
The meeting was organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, where Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram and Additional Commissioner Pavneet Kaur presented the civic administration’s proposals.
Out of the total approved amount, ₹890 crore has been sanctioned for a comprehensive water supply scheme for 12 villages merged into the Pune Municipal Corporation limits.
These villages include Khadakwasla, Nanded, Nandoshi, Sansnagar, Kirkatwadi, Dhayari, Narhe, Jambhulwadi, Kolhewadi, Mangadewadi, Nimbalkarwadi and Bhilarewadi.
The issue gained attention after last year’s outbreak of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a water-borne illness that affected several residents in these areas. Civic officials said many of these villages still receive untreated water directly from reservoirs despite being part of PMC limits.
According to the approved plan, the project will include a 200 MLD water treatment plant, a 71-kilometre main transmission pipeline and a 390-kilometre distribution network.
The scheme has been designed to provide clean and treated drinking water to nearly 7.78 lakh residents by the year 2052.
The Centre has also approved ₹400 crore for flood-control measures across the city. The project will focus on improving stormwater drainage systems at 335 flood-prone locations.
In recent years, several parts of Pune, especially Dhayari, Narhe and Khadakwasla, have witnessed severe waterlogging during heavy rainfall, leading to traffic congestion and property damage.
Additional Commissioner Pavneet Kaur said the projects were planned considering the increasing population, growing pressure on water resources and repeated flooding incidents in newly developed areas of Pune.
Officials believe the approved projects will significantly strengthen Pune’s water infrastructure and improve disaster preparedness in the coming years.
