While issues of water supply in the city remains a topic of debate, a recent report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has revealed that the city is faced with the problem of excessive water supply and generation of large volume of sewage water.
The report states that around 931.2 MLD (million litres per day) sewage water is generated in the city, which is 23% more the quantity estimated by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Based on the estimates of the water supplied, it is revealed that 64% of sewage water remains untreated.
The report states that 15 TMC, which is the projected need of water, is lifted from the Khadakwasla dam, as against supply of 12.5 TMC by the irrigation department. The city’s population has increased from 3.1 million in 2005 to 3.7 million in 2011. Thus, the demand of water has increased from 605 MLD to 1,164 MLD. There are 4,500 tube wells which have been counted, the report states.
The report points out serious water quality issues in rivers. The report has also made recommendations on sewage planning.
Nitya Jacob, programme director, Water, CSE, said Pune has mismanaged its water and sewage, and has landed in the current mess. “The situation is extremely serious since water supply is erratic, leading to rapid groundwater exploitation and depletion. The poor management of sewage and waste water has compounded the problem by increasing groundwater pollution as well as pollution of local rivers,” Jacob said.
