Pune: Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) plan to draw water directly from Andra dam through a closed pipeline has triggered opposition from farmers in at least 14 villages in Maval. The farmers have threatened a march to the tehsildar’s office on Oct 22 over pending rehabilitation demands and concerns about irrigation.The Rs220-crore project aims to bring 100 million litres per day (MLD) of water directly from the dam to the civic body’s Chikhali water treatment plant. Farmers said the pipeline will deprive villages along the river of water needed for agriculture, and warned that they would not allow the project to proceed until their concerns are addressed.“Many of us gave up our land for the dam, but our rehabilitation demands remain unresolved even after nearly 26 years. The govt must settle these issues before proceeding with the pipeline,” a farmer said.Atish Pardeshi, a Takwe resident and former zilla parishad member, said farmers do not strongly oppose PCMC lifting water from Nighoje bund on Indrayani river, but will resist a direct pipeline from the dam.“The original water allocation from Andra was for MIDC. The subsequent permission for PCMC to lift water from Nighoje did not trigger strong opposition. However, a closed pipeline from the dam will affect villagers who depend on the river for farming, and we will not allow it,” Pardeshi said.The protest plan was discussed at a meeting at Bhairavnath temple in Takwe Budruk on Monday. Farmers have also demanded that water supply from Andra dam to Talegaon and Pimpri-Chinchwad be stopped until their rehabilitation issues are resolved. They have alleged that land acquisition for phase IV of Talegaon MIDC in Nigde, Ambale, Pavlewadi, and Kalhat is proceeding without taking villagers into confidence.PCMC plans to build a jackwell, a pumping station, and an underground pipeline to reduce its dependence on Pavana dam, which has been the city’s main water source for around four decades. The state has sanctioned an additional 100 MLD from Andra and 167 MLD from Bhama Askhed, taking the combined allocation to 267 MLD. Andra water has been supplied to the city since May 2023 through Nighoje bund.A senior PCMC official said the direct pipeline would ensure better-quality water and reduce losses caused by evaporation. “We have initiated the process to start work. However, we will take the farmers into confidence and ensure they do not suffer losses because of the project,” the official said.The opposition comes amid a prolonged stalemate over PCMC’s separate closed pipeline project from Pavana dam. That project has remained stalled for 14 years following protests during which three farmers were killed in police firing in 2011. The incident led to a stay on the project.The fresh resistance to Andra project could pose another hurdle to the civic body’s efforts to secure additional water for the rapidly growing city.
