News in Brief:
Pune's water leakage has reduced from 40% to 32% due to improvements under the equitable water supply scheme.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has prepared the water budget for 2025–26, projecting a reduced total demand of 21.03 TMC, slightly lower than last year.
Despite a population rise, this year marks the first time PMC has brought down its water requirement forecast, citing better control over wastage and realistic planning.
Pune, 19 July 2025: Water leakage in Pune, once recorded at a staggering 40%, has now been reduced to 32% thanks to measures implemented under the equitable water supply scheme. As a result, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has projected a lower overall water demand in its 2025–26 budget, aiming to streamline distribution and curb wastage.
The city receives water mainly from the Khadakwasla dam project, with additional supply from Bhama Askhed dam and Ravet bund . While the PMC is entitled to 12.41 TMC under its agreement with the state irrigation department, the rapid population growth and inclusion of 32 surrounding villages have steadily pushed demand upward.
Each year, the PMC is required to prepare and submit a water demand estimate to the irrigation department, factoring in a standard 2% annual population growth and transient populations who commute to Pune for work, business, and education. For 2025–26, the estimated population to be served is approximately 84.64 lakh, including the floating population.
In the previous year’s water budget, water leakage was calculated at 35%, amounting to 7.52 TMC. However, in the new 2025–26 estimates, leakage has been pegged at 32%, or 6.73 TMC. This reflects a reduction of nearly 0.75 TMC in water loss, achieved through better infrastructure and monitoring.
Interestingly, even with a growing population, this is the first time the PMC has projected a lower water requirement than the previous year. The total demand for 2025–26 has been set at 21.03 TMC, down from 21.48 TMC in 2024–25. Last year, the state irrigation department had approved only 14.82 TMC from the requested quota, and it remains to be seen how much will be granted this year.
The new proposal will be submitted to the irrigation department by the end of July, following approval from Municipal Commissioner Dr. Naval Kishore Ram.
