Pune: Mayor Manjusha Nagpure on Tuesday said there would be no water cuts in the city till May-end and further decisions will be taken in June first week on the basis of stock in dams and monsoon forecast.The mayor’s announcement on water supply came after a joint meeting on Tuesday held with officials of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the irrigation department regarding the city’s daily requirement, the ground situation and current storage in dams. She said the irrigation department had urged PMC to reduce water usage in the backdrop of a possible impact of El Niño.Nagpure said the dams had more water stock compared to the last three years. The city draws 1,650 MLD water, around 1.65 TMC, every month. The administration is taking steps to improve supply and reduce leakages.“We will wait till May-end to take a further call on water supply. We will also get the latest forecast on monsoon by then,” she said.The mayor has appealed to citizens that they use water judiciously. “People must take necessary measures to avoid wastage. I appeal to women especially to implement the ‘no running taps’ initiative at home to make sure taps don’t stay running and waste water,” she said.Nagpure also spoke about the irrigation department’s claims of PMC’s pending water bills and arrears. She said details had been sought from the irrigation department and the civic body, in return, would provide technical explanation.Subhead: Use of automatic meters to check usageThe mayor said she had told the administration to use automatic water meters to get readings on usage. “Citizens will not have to pay any charges based on the readings. The exercise is intended to observe usage,” she said. The administration is installing automatic meters under the equitable water supply project to check the usage of every connection.Subhead: Elaborate arrangements for PalkhiNagpure on Tuesday held a meeting to review preparations for the annual Palkhi procession. She told the administration to make elaborate arrangements for the event, with a focus on offering all necessary services to warkaris, especially adequate shelters.
