Residents In Ambegaon Face 15 Years Of Water Scarcity, Pay Rs 1-1.5 Lakh Monthly For Water, Demand Action From PMC

Residents from various housing societies near Shri Krishna Nagar in Vadgaon Dabadi, Ambegaon have raised serious concerns over water scarcity and irregular garbage collection, accusing the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) of neglecting their basic needs. Frustrated over years of inaction, they have threatened to launch a large-scale protest if their grievances are not addressed soon.

Speaking to The Free Press Journal (GPlus) on the issue, Sangeeta Chaudhari, a resident of Anand Vila ABC Housing Society, said, “The biggest problem in our area is the absence of water. Every month we are spending more than Rs1 to Rs1.5 lakh on drinking water. Another issue is dumping garbage. We are paying a huge tax every year. No political leader visits our residential areas. The water pressure is very low and sometimes it comes only in a few flats. We are requesting the responsible civic body to visit our place and identify the issues we have been facing for a long time.”

Water issue persist for the last 15 years

Seema Bhalerao, a resident of the Ganesh Villa Building at Dabade, said, “We have been facing the water issue for the last 15 years. Despite the area being under the PMC, we are not being facilitated with basic amenities like water. Garbage collection vehicles do not come daily. We are forced to store it for two or three days.”

Different situation just 100 metres away

Echoing Bhalerao’s views, Consesq Fernandes, another resident of Ganesh Villa, highlighted, “We have been residing here since 2010. The area opposite the road comes under the Sinhagad Road Ward Office and residents (there) are getting full water —just 100 metres away! Why the PMC is not installing the water pipeline in our area is the big question.”

“This is the way of making money. We have been facing a severe issue for long and no one is here to address it. We have given several complaints to the civic body but the situation is still the same,” Kishore Chandrakant, a resident of the Jijau Society told the GPlus. 

Vijay Kshirsagar, a resident and member of Patitpawan Sanghatana, expressed, “The area had merged into the PMC, two and half years ago and was promised of basic amenities. Residents are forced to spend more than Rs11 lakh on a water tanker and Rs5 to Rs6 lakh on the electricity bill of the motor used to circulate the water.” 

“It seems it is the modus of earning money by private water tanker owners, local politicians, corporators and civic bodies. If this civic body can provide water to private water dealers then why the PMC is not making efforts to at least provide drinking water for free of cost? If the residents’ requests are neglected anymore we will conduct a big protest against the administration,” Kshirsagar further told the GPlus.

Speaking to the GPlus, PMC’s Assistant Commissioner Surekha Bhange said, “The garbage collection vehicles have been deployed on a regular basis. However, our team will visit and soon the issue will be resolved if it exists. We also take action against the rule violators.”

Hemant More, the Assistant Engineer at PMC’s Dhankawadi – Sahakar Nagar Ward Office, told the GPlus, “The new agencies have been working on preparing the Detailed Project Report of all 23 newly-merged villages. The additional demand for water has not been sanctioned yet by the Irrigation Department of the state government. The

PMC has fixed the number of water tankers for each area. Accordingly, the water is supplied across their jurisdiction.”

“For Ambegaon (Khurd ) 125 to 130 water tankers of drinking water have been sanctioned. However, it might take two to three years more to supply them with PMC water,” More added.