Surge in demand for water tankers in Pune

Pune's water tanker demand rises despite good rainfall, with over 4.5 lakh trips reported this year, as rapid development outpaces water infrastructure.

Pune: Despite receiving good rainfall, the demand for water tankers in Pune continues to rise. According to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) water supply department, the civic body supplied 4.59 lakh tanker trips in 2025–26 till February, indicating sustained dependence on tanker water across several parts of the city.

Residents of Ambedkar Nagar, a low-income settlement in the shadows of global software companies in Whitefield neighborhood, collect potable water from a private tanker in Bengaluru, India, Monday, March 11, 2024. Water levels are running desperately low, particularly in poorer regions, resulting in sky-high costs for water and a quickly dwindling supply. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) (AP)

In 2023–24, a total of 4,00,348 tanker trips were reported, and in 2024–25, as many as 4,89,202 tanker trips were reported, as per data.

This year, officials expect the demand to increase further in March as temperatures begin to rise. According to estimates by the water department, the number of tanker trips could cross 50,000 in March alone due to growing summer demand.

The trend persists even as the PMC continues to roll out its 24x7 water supply scheme in selected parts of the city. However, officials admit that the scheme has not significantly reduced tanker dependency, particularly in rapidly developing areas.

Nandkishor Jagtap, head, PMC water department, said the bulk of tanker demand is coming from newly merged areas. “The demand is mainly from merged villages where the pipeline network is still inadequate. Development is happening rapidly in these areas, but water infrastructure has not kept pace,” he said.

Local MLA Siddharth Shirole said tanker dependence in some established parts of the city points to management issues. “Earlier, PMC rarely faced water shortages in the central parts of the city. Now, citizens sometimes have to call tankers even in these areas. There appears to be mismanagement in the water supply,” he said.

Tanker operators, however, believe demand will continue as the city expands. One operator, requesting anonymity, said, “The city is growing rapidly while civic infrastructure is expanding slowly. As more people buy homes in the outskirts, they will depend on tanker supply until proper pipelines reach those areas.”

Operators added that Pune’s strong industrial and service sector growth continues to attract migrants, leading to housing development on the outskirts where civic infrastructure often lags behind demand.

Water tanker trips supplied by PMC

2023–24 — 4,00,348

2024–25 — 4,89,202

2025–26 (till February) — 4,59,077