Only 36 of the 82 tanks ready so far under 24x7 water project

Not only are many of the water tanks half-built, the work of laying the water pipelines is also going on at a snail’s pace

PUNE While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is pitching the 24x7 water project as its flagship scheme, there has been very little progress on the same with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) being able to construct only 36 out of the total 82 water tanks in the past five years. Not only are many of the water tanks half-built, the work of laying the water pipelines is also going on at a snail’s pace.

The 24x7 water project is meant to provide equitable, round-the-clock water supply to all parts of the city and ensure less wastage of water. (HT FILE PHOTO)

During his budget speech on Monday, municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar accepted these facts and shared information about the work completed so far in the budget document. According to the PMC document, “The PMC is working on the 24x7 water scheme considering the water needs in the year 2047. A total of 82 water tanks were proposed in the city on hills and areas with high topography. The work on a total of 36 tanks got completed and very soon, the figure is expected to reach 50 water tanks.”

The delay in the execution of the project has invited criticism against the BJP and the PMC as the roads have been dug up in many parts of the city for laying the water pipelines, causing great inconvenience to the people. During the monsoon and winter seasons, most main roads in the city were dug up even as the civic body failed to restore them quickly.

A PMC official on condition of anonymity said, “It is true that the work is going on at a slow pace due to various reasons. One of the main reasons for delaying the water tanks is land acquisition. Much of the land on which water tanks have been planned is not in the possession of the civic body.”

The 24x7 water project is meant to provide equitable, round-the-clock water supply to all parts of the city. The scheme was originally planned when the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was the ruling party in the PMC before 2017. When the BJP came to power, it changed the name of the scheme from ‘equal water distribution’ to the ‘24x7 water project’ and gave its nod to it. With the objective being equitable distribution of water and stoppage of water leakages, the PMC under the BJP decided to execute this project in 2018, with the proposal including shifting nearly 1,600km of old water pipelines and building more than 100 new water tanks.

The project’s original deadline is March 2023. With only 16 months remaining for completion, the project’s pace must be increased. The PMC has been raising funds through municipal bonds to implement the project which includes supply, installation, commissioning and operation of the 24x7 water supply system to reduce water loss and ensure equitable water supply to the city.