Rainwater harvesting a must for Pune

Pune is a water-rich city with four dams and three rivers supplying water. However, every year, as the summer sun beats down on the city, the citizens usually face water cuts which make them wake up to the reality of fast-depleting water resources.

Rapid urbanisation, concretisation of surfaces, reduction in open spaces and tree cover and continuous pumping of water through borewells has resulted in a steady fall in groundwater tables across the district.

According to the Groundwater Surveys and Development Authority (GSDA), of the 96 drought-prone watersheds (water resources) in the state, 16 are in Pune district. The state has 1,505 watersheds. 

While the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) relies on dams and rivers for sustained supply and spends a great deal of tax payers’ money to purify water, almost 60% of urban Maharashtra depends on groundwater for supply.

Since water distribution by the PMC is inequitable with many suburban parts getting an hour or two of low pressure supply that is not enough, digging of borewells is a common phenomenon.

According to a 2006 report of the GSDA, there are more than 5,200 borewells and over 1,000 open wells in Pune. This indiscriminate pumping out of groundwater has resulted in a crisis that can only be countered by recharging groundwater tables through rainwater harvesting (RWH).

A state government resolution dated February 14, 2002 said that RWH must be adopted by all, including government bodies, individuals and industry to counter the problem.

The PMC gives a 5% rebate on property tax for buildings that have a RWH system installed.

According to a recent study, ‘Sustainable drinking water supply in Pune metropolitan region: alternative policies’ by Sanjay Rode of the Centre for Development Alternatives, Ahmedabad, the water demand for the PMC is 531.94 million litres per day (MLD). The PMC also supplies drinking water to the Pune and Khadki cantonments.

The water demand of the KCB, PCB and Pune city combined brings the total demand to 558 MLD. In Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation area, the water demand is 239.32 MLD.

In the rest of the Pune metropolitan region, the demand for water is 23.43 MLD.

As per the recent report of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Pune generates about 451 MLD sewage. For its treatment, the PMC has constructed six sewage treatment plants with a total capacity of 325 MLD. The remaining sewage is discharged untreated into the Mula and Mutha rivers.