Drainage water contaminates drinking supply in Sasanenagar areas

Resident Sundada Bhosale said the contamination has affected lanes one and two of the locality, and they have stopped drinking municipal water and are either buying water or depending on tankers.

Pune: Residents of Sasanenagar have been facing health concerns for several months after sewage began mixing with the drinking water supply. The civic administration has acknowledged the contamination and initiated corrective measures.

Drainage water contaminates drinking supply in Sasanenagar areas

Savita Mali, a resident of Sasanenagar, said the problem has persisted despite repeated complaints. “For the past few months, water from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) tap has been foul-smelling. Even washed clothes retain the odour. We raised the issue with the ward office and elected representatives, but there was no relief,” she said.

Another resident, Sundada Bhosale, said the contamination has affected lanes one and two of the locality. “We have stopped drinking municipal water and are either buying water or depending on tankers,” she said.

Former mayor Vaishali Bankar raised the issue in the general body meeting, calling it serious. “Sewage is mixing with drinking water in lanes one to five of Sasanenagar. We became aware of it during the election campaign and immediately took it up. During inspection, it was found that sewage and water pipelines intersect at common chambers. Since both pipelines are old, leakages have led to contamination,” she said.

Bankar said that repair work has already begun at some locations. “Officers visited the site on Wednesday. More inspections are planned for Thursday, but it could not be carried out due to the Shiv Jayanti holiday,” she said.

PMC water department head Nandkishor Jagtap said action has been initiated across the city following multiple complaints. “We have received complaints from 60 to 70 locations, mainly in Hadapsar, Sasanenagar, Katraj, Kondhwa and Anjnerinagar. A provision of ₹20 crore has been approved for replacing old water pipelines,” he said.

PMC said such problems are largely reported from narrow lanes where sewage and water pipelines run through the same chambers. The civic body has decided to separate the two networks to prevent further contamination.

Elected representatives Prashant Jagtap, Gafur Pathan and Ashwini Landge also raised the issue. Leader of the House Ganesh Bidkar directed the administration to treat the matter on priority, instructing officials to conduct site visits and ensure that such incidents do not recur.