Even as the political parties kept promising 24x7 water supply for the twin towns of Pimpri-Chinchwad during the civic poll campaign, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has been unable to turn it into reality due to the extreme population growth.
While addressing the corporators, PCMC commissioner Ashish Sharma clearly said that providing 24x7 water supply to the city was impossible.
He said that the population of Pimpri-Chinchwad had witnessed nearly 80% rise and it was not possible to work out a solution to provide 24x7 water supply. The PCMC has already started looking for new drinking water sources to tackle the growing needs.
The Pavana dam reservoir is the only source of drinking water for the twin township that has a population of 18 lakh. According to the 2011 census report, the population of Pimpri-Chinchwad was 17,29,320 — a 72% rise as compared to 2001.
According to 2001 census report, the population of Pimpri-Chinchwad was 10,06,417. In 1991, the population was 5,17,083, while in 1981, it was 2,49,364.
According to civic officials, the population will reach 30 lakh in the next 10 years. The growth rate in Pimpri-Chinchwad is very high due to development in the real estate sector, availability of land, better roads and proximity to Hinjewadi and Talawade.
The PCMC lifts 420-425 MLD (million litres per day) water from Pavana dam. It has implemented phase I to phase IV of water supply schemes. Phases I and II have a combined capacity to treat 228 MLD raw water, while phases III and IV can treat 200 MLD raw water.
The Pavana dam can store up to 10.78 TMC water, which includes 1 TMC dead stock, 6.55 TMC reserved for Pimpri-Chinchwad and 3 TMC for irrigation and drinking water needs of Dehu Road, Talegaon and other towns and villages along the Pavana river.
