Residents of Kalepadal in Hadapsar have reported sewage water entering homes and parking areas, raising concerns about possible contamination of the drinking-water supply and prompting demands for urgent action from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Ward 41 corporator Nivrutti Anna Bandal visited the affected area, met residents and assured them of assistance. He criticised the PMC over what he described as a failure to address a civic problem affecting residents’ health, safety and quality of life.
Residents told Punekar News that sewage entering residential premises and parking spaces had caused significant inconvenience. They also expressed concern that sewage could be mixing with drinking water, although contamination had not been established through test results available at the time of publication.
Bandal said the situation required more than a routine drainage response. “It is unacceptable that residents have to live with drainage water entering their homes and the fear that their drinking water may be contaminated. The PMC cannot turn a blind eye to such a serious problem,” he said.
He questioned how residents could be expected to pay property tax and other civic charges when basic services such as functional drainage and safe drinking water remained a concern. Bandal said he had heard residents’ complaints and would provide assistance in taking up the issue with the civic administration.
The corporator urged the PMC to inspect the affected premises and the local water-supply network, identify the source of the problem and undertake corrective work without delay. He said officials should test drinking-water samples and repair damaged or leaking pipelines if necessary.
“This is not merely a drainage complaint but a matter concerning the health and safety of hundreds of families,” Bandal said. He added that if sewage was entering residential premises or mixing with potable water, the administration should treat the issue as an emergency. He also warned that sending staff to the area or making verbal assurances would not resolve the underlying problem.
The cause of the sewage intrusion has not been established in the available report. Possible infrastructure failures mentioned by Bandal include damaged pipelines, leakage, inadequate drainage capacity or another fault in the local network. A technical inspection by the PMC’s water-supply and drainage departments would be required to determine the source.
Residents also expressed dissatisfaction with the response from elected representatives. They alleged that although four corporators represent the ward, only Bandal had visited the area to hear their grievances, while the others had not responded adequately. Some residents questioned the collection of taxes when essential civic services remained unreliable.
Bandal called for a detailed assessment and a permanent solution rather than temporary measures. The immediate requirements identified by residents and the corporator are an inspection of affected properties, testing of drinking-water samples, prevention of any further sewage-potable water contact and repairs to the relevant drainage or water-supply infrastructure.
The PMC’s response to the allegations, the results of any water testing and the corrective measures it proposes were not available at the time of publication. Residents are seeking clarity on the action plan and timelines for resolving the problem.
