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PMC plans to boost groundwater levels, will conduct survey
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is focusing on groundwater conservation to tackle the city's increasing water demand due to urbanization. PMC plans to conduct surveys of water bodies and recharge groundwater at PMC gardens to increase groundwater levels. The civic body has set up a dedicated groundwater cell and has allocated funds to boost groundwater levels in selected gardens and ponds.
In order to tackle Pune’s increasing water demand as a result of increased urbanisation, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has shifted its focus to groundwater and increasing the groundwater levels. The civic body has decided to conduct survey of water bodies as well as recharge ground water at PMC gardens, said officials.
Last year, the civic body set up a dedicated ground water cell to work towards ground water conservation. The cell is focusing on identifying groundwater reserves, protecting the source and reserve of groundwater, collecting information on the quantity of water drawn through bore wells and preventing pollution of groundwater.
Mangesh Dighe, PMC environment officer said, “The city is expanding, putting more pressure on the basic services the civic body provides to its residents. To ensure an adequate water supply, it’s essential to use water sustainably. Groundwater is one of the crucial water sources in the city and therefore must be conserved and protected.”
He further said, “National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) has allocated ₹20 lakh to boost ground water level. We have selected a few gardens to recharge ground water with the help of funds.”
PMC has identified GP Pradhan Garden, Kalmadi Udyan, Shahid Hemant Karkare Udyan, Ghorpade Garden, Late Jaisingrao Sasane Garden, Shivarkar Udyan to recharge ground water.
Ashok Ghorpade, chief superintendent engineer of garden department said, “Ground water experts will guide us to recharge ground water. In the pilot project, we have selected three gardens Ghorpade Garden, Late Jaisingrao Sasane garden, Shivarkar Udyan out of six gardens. We have estimated funds of ₹80 lakh to recharge ground water at these gardens.”
Besides that, PMC will implement initiatives at ponds in Harantale, Uruli Devachi, Dhayari, and Uttamnagar to raise groundwater levels in these areas. These projects will be carried out in collaboration with the allocated three gardens to recharge the ground water level of bore wells in their premises.
