PMC supply falls short\, airport struggles to meet daily water demand

PMC supply falls short, airport struggles to meet daily water demand

AAI officials said presently, the airports gets about 35 thousand litres of water from the PMC, which is not enough for the 22,466 passengers (as per the Environmental Status Report presented by the PMC) who visit the airport every day.

By: Express News Service | Pune | Published: October 15, 2018 3:40:41 am

PUNE Airport that is eyeing an international tag with more facilities and passenger movement, is facing water crisis as the supply it receives from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is not enough to cater to the 25,000-odd passengers that visit it everyday. The airport has to rely on water tankers to meet the demand.

According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Pune airport, a civil enclave, has seen tremendous growth in terms of passenger movement and has generated revenue and, in fact, even topped with regards to several parameters in the Western Region of the AAI in the last quarter.

AAI officials said presently, the airports gets about 35 thousand litres of water from the PMC, which is not enough for the 22,466 passengers (as per the Environmental Status Report presented by the PMC) who visit the airport every day. The actual water demand for the airport is 1.2 lakh litres per day.

“We end up buying water from outside. At present, we are taking eight-nine tankers of water per day,” Ajay Kumar, the Pune Airport Director told mediapersons. He added that the airport administration is in touch with the PMC and is hoping to get an additional quota
of water. “In fact, we had raised the issue with the District Infrastructure Scheme Advisory (DISHA) committee that met in July this year.

During the meeting, we requested the DISHA committee to increase the water supply, which is essential for the airport. Currently, we are receiving 30 to 35 thousand litres every day from the PMC, but the actual requirement is 1.2 lakh litres, which we are meeting with help of the water tankers, which costs Rs 15,000 per day,” said Kumar.

As per the AAI officials, the airport purchases water at a rate of Rs 1,800 per tanker and its total expenses per annum run into crores of rupees. Pune MP Anil Shirole who also heads the Airport Advisory Committee for Pune airport said he will follow up on the issue and ensure that the airport gets adequate water supply from the civic body.  “This is an important concern and it will be resolved soon” said Shirole.

The Environmental Status Report (ESR) published by the PMC said that in 2014-15, the movement of passengers at the airport was 41.9 lakh a year and in 2017-18 it was 71.99 lakh passengers, with 22,466 passengers per day. As per AAI officials, the airport hopes to host more than 10 million passenger a day in the next two years with several expansion plans that are on cards.