‘No water for 24 hours’: Residents protest with empty buckets in Pune

Residents added that they are being forced to reuse water, avoid washing machines and limit basic consumption to cope with the shortage

With taps running dry for over 24 hours, residents of housing societies in Undri and Mohammadwadi staged protests outside their complexes on Wednesday, holding empty buckets and water cans to highlight the severity of the ongoing water crisis triggered by a tanker strike.

The protests began around 4 pm across multiple societies, including Nyati Ethos and Nyati Evara, where residents, many of them senior citizens, gathered and raised slogans against the lack of water supply. (HT PHOTO)

The protests began around 4 pm across multiple societies, including Nyati Ethos and Nyati Evara, where residents, many of them senior citizens, gathered and raised slogans against the lack of water supply.

The disruption followed a strike by private tanker operators, who halted services after recent enforcement action by traffic police targeting violations and unsafe driving practices.

Residents said the crisis has once again exposed the long-standing failure to provide a reliable municipal water supply in these areas. “We have been living here since 2004 and have been promised PMC water since then, but nothing has changed. Water is our basic right,” said Vandana, a resident of Nyati Estate.

Another resident questioned the delay in infrastructure development, saying, “How can areas within city limits go without a proper water connection for over two decades?”

The situation has forced families to ration water strictly.

“There are over 500 homes in our society, and we don’t have a drop of water. We are struggling to manage even basic needs,” said Dr Rishi, a resident participating in the protest.

Nonagenarian OP Bhatnagar, who also joined the demonstration, said residents spend heavily on tanker supply.

“We pay nearly ₹12 lakh every year for water. Despite that, today we have nothing,” he said.

Residents added that they are being forced to reuse water, avoid washing machines and limit basic consumption to cope with the shortage.

Civic officials said efforts are underway to improve supply infrastructure. Hemant More, superintendent engineer at PMC, said work is ongoing to restore the water supply through overhead storage systems. “Once the tanks are ready, testing and cleaning will be carried out. Trial runs will follow, and supply is expected to stabilise between May 15 and 20,” he said.