ESR suggests PMC reduce water supply by 35 litres per head to meet demand
ESR suggests PMC reduce water supply by 35 litres per head to meet demandu00a0
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The Environment Status Report (ESR) has recommended that the civic body reduce water supply by 35 litres or three buckets per head in the city. This means the daily supply of water will go down to 194 litres per head from current supply of 229 litres.
The ESR has advised the Pune Municipal Corporation to exercise frugality to offset rising demand for water spurred by increase in population.
Naresh Zurmure, additional municipal commissioner, said the water supply was 11.5 TMC from the state irrigation department which catered to a population of 32 lakh. According the 2011 Census, city population is 37 lakh, he said.
"The city has been consuming 14.5 TMC of water annually for the past two years. The debate over additional requirement of water was ruled out by the irrigation department and only 11.5 TMC was sanctioned by the state government for the city," said Zurmure.
About 50 per cent of the water has to be earmarked for the city out of the total stock of 29.05 TMC of water in the four dams at Khadakwasla, Varasgaon, Temghar and Panshet. The remaining water is required for agriculture in the adjoining catchment areas of these dams.
S B Kulkarni, a resident of Paud Road, said the city does not have water audit. Only 30 per cent of water connections have water meters. The ESR has not commented on the wastage," he said.
Mahesh Zagade, former municipal commissioner, who had taken a review of water supply, confessed there was 40 per cent wastage of water.u00a0
