Chikhali, Moshi residents spend a fortune on water tankers every day

PIMPRI CHINCHWAD: Blue Dice housing society in Chikhali, just near the Chikhali water treatment plant, is spending about Rs 10,000 per day on water tankers.

Paresh Parekh, a committee member of the society, said he recently resigned as secretary because he had no solution to the crisis. "The water pressure is too low and is affecting us middle-class society members," he said, adding that several societies nearby faced a similar situation.
"We have to call in at least 10-12 water tankers for our society with 280 flats. This water is just for regular use and not for drinking purposes. For drinking, we have to call in another tanker. The prices of the tankers vary according to the usage. If it is for drinking purposes, one tanker can cost Rs 3,500, while for regular usage, it can cost between Rs 800 and Rs 1,000. We are dependent on both types of tankers. And this is very ironic considering the newly-inaugurated Chikhali WTP is a few hundred metres from our society."
Pravin Shinde, a resident and committee member of Mystic Greens Housing Society, said: "This is just a year-old society but water issues have been plaguing us from day 1. We have a borewell and are extremely dependent on its water for our daily usage. Since the water pumping is done throughout the day, the power bill for the society goes up to Rs 65,000 per month. Add a few tankers, and the monthly bills inflate further."
Shinde said the Chikhali WTP is just 200m from his society. He added that they had no idea if the newly-inaugurated WTP had enhanced the water distribution capacity of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.
Sanjeevan Sangle, chairman of the Chikhali Moshi Pimpri Chinchwad Housing Society Federation, told TOI: "There are specific areas in Chikhali that are prone to the water crisis due to negligence of the water supply department of the PCMC. We are going to meet officials on Thursday and seek answers." Shrikant Sawane, joint city engineer of PCMC, refuted the claims of housing societies and said all civic areas have ample water supply.